Dreamer
by Little Miss Isabelle
Summary: In a moment, everything can change...  Now COMPLETE!  :
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** I'm back! And I'm so excited about this story. :) I hope you love it, too. I don't want to give too much introduction, because I want the story to speak for itself.

I will say, though, that this little story has been inspired (a little) by a sweet little episode of _Bones_.

Ah, and just a note… I'm about to start (on Tuesday!) the worst semester of my college career (why am I starting this story now?), so don't expect an update every day. I'm not even sure when I'll be able to update each new chapter… I have a general idea, but I don't want to limit myself, because I feel it kinda affects the quality of my writing. And nobody wants that. :(

Without further ado…

**Disclaimer:** Did you really think that I would stage a hostile take-over of the best-est show in the world in my fifteen-day hiatus? Sorry to disappoint you. :( Didn't take over _Bones_, either, btw. :)

Chapter 1

His eyes locked with hers from all the way across the room, and he cocked a secret smile in her direction.

Blushing, she smiled softly and ducked her head. She slipped into her chair at her desk, depositing her purse by her feet. As she found the file she had been translating for Joan the night before, she glanced back at him. Even blind, he could find her in a crowded room, offer her that smile, and chase away all her shadows.

She snuck a look at him again, to find his gaze penetrating her, following her every move. Her eyebrows furrowed curiously.

He was in the middle of a fairly heated discussion between Jai, Conrad, Stu, and Barber, and she watched with a soft smile as his hands flew in front of him, trying to prove his point.

She _knew_ he couldn't see—her best friend was blind, after all—but how was it possible that he could follow her every move? Even his super-power hearing didn't work _that_ well.

Locking the file back in her desk for safekeeping, she slipped out of her chair and ambled over to where the five boys were arguing animatedly. As she came within hearing distance, all five of them clammed up suspiciously.

"Hey, boys," she said with a flirty grin. "What's up?"

"Nothing," the majority of them replied, quickly making excuses before taking their leave.

"Annie," he said with an easy smile.

"What was all that about?"

He shrugged dismissively. "Don't worry about it. Personal issue between His Highness and me. It's being dealt with."

"His Highness?" she asked, her eyes twinkling as she studied him.

He grinned back at her. "I think it suits him."

She was a little disconcerted by the way his eyes had followed her during their whole conversation. Auggie couldn't see. Not that that had ever stopped him from anything… but how was it possible that he was acting as if he _could_ see her, and he was taking her in for the very first time? "What did you do this weekend?" she asked, trying to sound nonchalant.

He shrugged, but she could tell the joy was barely contained within him. "Oh, a little of this, a little of that. I was mostly at Johns Hopkins."

"The hospital?" Her eyes widened. "Auggie, what happened?"

He grinned like a fool. "I, ah… I volunteered for a trial surgery."

"Trial surgery?" she asked, her worry mounting by the moment. "Auggie, what would you need _any_ kind of surgery f—" Her breath caught in her throat as the realization dawned on her, and tears pooled in her eyes. "Au-auggie?" she whispered. "Can you see me?"

He was just standing there, watching her cry, her hands covering her face in shame. She wanted to beg him to say something—anything—and she felt like a fool for crying in the middle of the DPD. Knowing her luck, Joan would walk up to them any second, and see her, mortified and completely falling apart.

Then his hands came to frame her hands, and he pulled them away so he could see into her tear-stained eyes. Cupping her face with his hands, he brushed away all her tears, kissing her gently on the forehead. He pulled her into a tight hug, dropping his chin onto the top of her head protectively. "Yes, Annie," he finally whispered. "I can see you."

Her arms tightened around him as more tears leaked from her eyes. "I can't believe you kept this from me!"

His arms tightened around her shoulders in return, and he was gently rubbing her back, trying to repair the damage he'd done. "I—I'm sorry," he whispered. "I know you would have been there for me… But—I didn't even know this was happening until Saturday morning. The chances were so slim. And I didn't want you to get your hopes up… if, well. If something had happened."

She clung to him, still in shock. "You can see? Really?"

He pulled back a few inches, to show her his reassuring grin. "Really, Annie," he whispered. His hands came up to frame her face again, and he groaned. "You're so beautiful."

She watched him silently as he studied her. She gasped quietly as he slowly traced the contours of her face with his fingers, memorizing every feature, every facial expression, both with his fingertips and his eyes. He stood there, mesmerized by her, and every inch of her body tingled with anticipation.

As his fingers found a ticklish spot underneath her chin, she quickly ducked and pulled away, trying not to giggle. There was a tension between them, an intimate pull, and she didn't want to let it go.

She could see that pull in his eyes, too, as desire pooled there. "Annie, I—"

His eyes darted around the bullpen quickly before he reached for her hand and tugged her out the door, around the corner, and into his arms. Before she knew what was happening, his lips were on hers, exploring gently, passionately. His hands cradled her face protectively as he deepened the kiss, tasting her, memorizing her, as if this moment couldn't be real.

When she pulled away, breathing heavily, she buried her face in the hollow between his neck and his shoulder, and he rubbed her back gently.

Slowly, she looked up at him. "Auggie—"

He silently leaned forward and touched her forehead to his as he got lost in her eyes. His hand came up to cup her cheek, and she felt herself shiver involuntarily as his thumb moved gently across her lower lip, like a sweet caress.

_How had she known him for so long, without seeing this gentle, intimate side of him?_

"Annie, I—Annie, I love you."

**A/N:** Ahhh! :) So, what do you think? Review, pretty please! I'm afraid the concept for this won't be as well received as Christmas with Auggie, but I just want to say that there's a twist coming that will change basically everything. :) I'm diabolical, I know. :)

I just know a lot of people aren't crazy about the whole Auggie getting his sight back (neither am I, to be honest!) plotline, so all I'll say is please stick around until next chapter... hopefully, it'll all make sense then. :)


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** Had a lovely little snow day today. :) So I was able to write a little more. I'm guessing following posts will be more like a week apart, though. :)

**Disclaimer:** Still not mine!

* * *

Chapter 2

Annie blinked at the unfamiliar surroundings of her room in the guesthouse. _The guesthouse?_ Hadn't she just been in the DPD? Listening to Auggie's proclamations of love?

Her heart sang within her chest. _Auggie_. That kiss had been magical. And he—he had _seen_ her. Auggie could see.

She rubbed her eyes as she looked around the room, only lighted by the glow of the full moon outside her window.

_No, he couldn't see. It was just a dream._

The weight of the truth crashed upon her. It couldn't be true. Auggie couldn't still be blind.

She tugged her blankets up around her as she propped herself up against the head of the bed. Crossing her arms around her middle, she hugged herself as she shook her head. _No. It couldn't be true._

When she had woken up, she had expected to see Auggie flung across his side of the bed, snoring softly, love billowing in her heart at just the sight of him.

She wanted to slap herself. _His_ side of the bed? Where was her head? Auggie didn't have a side of her bed! Auggie was her _best friend_. Nothing else. She'd had a couple dreams that were doozies… but this, by far, took the cake.

She slipped out from underneath the covers of her bed, slipped one of her father's old hoodies over her head, and padded into the kitchen for a glass of water. Running the glass under the faucet, she commanded herself blearily, "Get it together, Annie."

After draining the glass of water, she returned to her bed, slipping under the covers, as she crawled into a ball. As her eyes drooped shut, images of Auggie and his heartbreaker smile filled her vision, and she couldn't help but smile. She knew it had just been a dream, but wasn't it okay to treasure a dream?

Dreams were like unlived exciting adventures. And no one had to know.

* * *

The next time Annie woke, it was 7:30 the next morning. As she climbed out of bed and padded to the bathroom, she groaned, and the instinct to slap herself resurfaced.

That little bit of non-logic that proclaimed dreaming about falling in love with her best friend was _definitely_ not sound advice. Since the moment she had woken up to the sound of her alarm clock, she had not been able to get the images from the first, and many following, dreams from her mind.

She felt like a lovesick schoolgirl. She didn't think it was possible to fall in love with a man after one dream, but she couldn't help it.

She just wanted to be with Auggie, and she didn't want to face the reality of what life would be like to know he didn't love her, when she arrived at the DPD in less than an hour.

She turned the water as cold as it would go, enduring the frigid temperature as she showered, hoping that it would wake her from her stupid fantasy. No such luck there.

As she dressed, dried her hair and curled it in soft ringlets that hung around her face, and applied her make-up, images from her dreams followed her. Their first kiss, their first date, stolen moments between missions.

She groaned.

Somehow, she had to fall out of being hopelessly in love with her best friend.

And she had to do it fast.

* * *

Annie sucked in a deep breath as she stepped into the entryway of Langley. This was it. The moment of truth.

After making it through security, she crossed her arms over her chest and walked with a much less confident pace through the halls of Langley on her way to the DPD. Acquaintances she passed on the way offered cheerful greetings, and she lifted a hand in greeting and mumbled a halfhearted "hello."

Annie stilled as she saw Auggie emerge from the double doors that led into the DPD, his laser cane sweeping back and forth, as if he were coming to greet her. Tears misted in her eyes as she watched him, so confident, so determined to overcome every obstacle.

"Annie?" he called out hesitantly, sniffing the air.

That adorable little sniff did her in. How was it possible that he couldn't see, that despite his take-on-the-world mentality, his sight had still been taken from him?

It wasn't fair.

She wanted to launch herself into his arms, bury her face in his chest, and cry at the injustice of it all. She couldn't help but hate the crazy events of the past few hours, and yet, she couldn't hate them, because it was these few hours that had brought her to Auggie.

And she didn't want to stop loving him.

Emitting a strangled sob, she dove for the nearest ladies' room. She heard Auggie's worried cries calling after her, but she ignored them. She locked herself in a stall and curled up in a ball, sniffing quietly. How in the world was she supposed to do this?

The door creaked open slowly, and Annie called out, "Auggie… can you please… just… leave me alone?"

An awkward pause followed. "Um… Annie, I'm not Auggie."

Annie's cheeks flamed as she buried her head in her hands. "Oh." She paused. "Sorry, Bea."

Another pause. "Annie, are you okay?"

Annie swiped her hand across her eyes, trying to get rid of the evidence. She sniffed quietly. "Yeah. I think so," she lied. "After that, though, I figured Auggie would try and follow me in here."

Bea quirked a smile outside the bathroom stall. "He tried. But when I reached for the handle, I think he thought better of it."

Annie slowly unlocked the door, and peaked out.

Bea sent her a sympathetic look. "Aw, honey, what'd Anderson do this time?"

She shook her head, drying the last of his tears. "It—it wasn't him. I just... I had a _really_ long night last night."

Bea smiled and patted Annie's arm sympathetically. "Well, Auggie isn't the easiest one to get along with, not always. Let me know if you need to talk, okay, sweetie?"

Annie nodded, even though she had no intention of taking the woman up on her offer. "Yeah, thanks."

She dried her eyes one final time, and touched up her make-up, hoping it would cover the effects of her tears, before she stepped out of the bathroom and made her way to her desk.

* * *

"Auggie," Annie called as she peaked into her best friend's office. "Auggie, Joan wants us in the conference room for a briefing."

Auggie's head popped up at the sound of his best friend's voice. "Annie?" he returned, hesitantly, hopefully. He reached for his laser cane and followed the sound of her voice, nearly tripping over his own feet in attempt to reach her before she left.

She smiled sadly, taking in his worried chocolate eyes and the lines of his handsome face. "Right here, Aug." She brushed her hand against the back of his, and he trailed his hand up to her elbow.

When she would have continued guiding him toward the conference room, he hung onto her arm, tugging her back. "Annie… are you… okay?" He had heard her strangled sob, and hadn't known what had precipitated it. He would have followed her into the bathroom, but Bea was quick on Annie's heels. That was nearly an hour ago. _What had happened?_

She slid her arm around his waist, hoping he wouldn't protest at the extra show of affection. Despite their physical relationship, they didn't hug often, and she hoped that he wouldn't mind.

Instead, he pulled her into a complete hug, dropping his chin onto the top of her head and rubbing her back soothingly. She tried to block out the images of her first dream, the way he had hugged her, similar to this, after declaring his big news. She couldn't help it, though, and her eyes fluttered closed as she breathed in the smell of his cologne and as she felt his strong arms wrap around her protectively.

She pushed away from him gently, after a moment. This was not helping her push away her love for him.

Huh-uh.

She reached for his arm, hooking her arm through his, and she tugged him toward the direction of the conference room. "C'mon, Auggie. We're gonna be late."

As he let her guide him through the maze of desks, he whispered again, "Annie… I'm worried. What's the matter?"

She shook her head no, but hugged his arm tighter, resting her cheek against his shoulder. "Not now, Auggie. Besides, I'll be fine."

He sighed, frustrated that she wasn't opening up to him. Did she really trust him that little? What was going on?

He focused his attention on the situation in front of him as he heard Annie push the door to the conference room open. Someone was handing out files, and Annie was guiding him to an empty seat when she noticed a couple standing at the front of the room, talking to Joan.

Annie's eyes widened with surprise and she placed Auggie's hand on the back of the chair. "I can't believe it," she whispered.

Auggie turned to look at her. "Annie? What is it?"

She stared at the woman, a strange mix between glowing and trepidation covering her face. "It can't be."

Auggie was getting slightly annoyed. Usually Annie was more helpful than this. "Annie."

She turned to look at him, and her cheeks burned in apology. "Oh, ah, sorry. It's Vivian Long!"

He sent her a confused look. "Vivian Long?"

"Yeah. Remember that mission, just before Ben and I went back to Sri Lanka? Jai and I went to London, and my mission was to get Vivian to recruit me?"

He nodded in remembrance. "She's here?"

Annie was still staring across the room. "Yeah. She's here. With some guy."

Vivian turned and noticed them. "Annie!" she called, excited.

Annie plastered on a smile, hoping it appeared genuine. "Viv!"

All she needed, on this, of all days, was for someone to call her on her crap, right in front of the love of her life.

**

* * *

**

**A/N:** See? Definitely not an "Auggie can see again" plotline! Never was supposed to be. It was just fun to trick you all for a little while. :) And I _know_ the premise behind it is kinda out-there… falling in love because of a dream… but, lol, I always wanted to do a story heavily inspired by dreams, and worse things have happened to me because of my dreams. lol. I loved the premise of Annie falling in love with Auggie because of a dream, and struggling to deal with Seeing Auggie and Blind Auggie.

And adding the case will just make it more interesting, I think. :) My sister proclaims that I'm an awesome mystery writer, and when I told her about this little story, she _insisted_ that I add some mystery to the story, hehe. So I obliged. Hopefully we all like this outcome better. :)

Please let me know what you think! This story seems so different from anything I've seen, so I'm not sure how it'll be received.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** Covert Affairs is _still_ not mine. Adorable Hannah and Annabelle, however, are _all mine!_ :)

* * *

Chapter 3

Annie was only marginally surprised when Vivian threw herself into Annie's arms. "Hey, you! Can't believe I'm seeing you again!"

Annie returned the hug, her eyes locking with Auggie's for a moment, and she threw him an amused grin.

It quickly died on her lips. _Oh, yeah._ Auggie couldn't see.

How was it possible that one dream had so entirely changed everything?

When Vivian pulled away, Annie plastered on a brave smile for the room. "Viv, what are you doing here?" she asked, a million other questions in her eyes. She had never expected to see her again.

Vivian's eyes traveled to the man she had been standing with a few moments ago, adoration clearly in her eyes, and Annie noticed, with a jolt of surprise, that it was none other than Jai Wilcox. "No way," she whispered.

Vivian grinned. "C'mon, Annie. I want you to meet my girls."

"Your—your girls?" Annie asked. It had only been about eighteen months since the mission in London. How was it possible she had _girls?_

She smiled proudly. "I'll—I'll tell you the whole story later, if we have time," she explained. "But right now, all I have time to explain is that I'm a foster mom, and Jai and I are trying to adopt them."

When they arrived in the corner where Jai was explaining something to Stu and Barber, Annie noticed an adorable dark-haired, blue-eyed beauty. She was tugging on Jai's pant leg, and with an affectionate smile, Jai reached down and threw her into the air, eliciting a round of giggles. "Again, Daddy!" she pled, and Jai threw her into the air again. Another round of giggles ensued.

Vivian slipped under Jai's free arm and leaned up and kissed him. "Hey, baby," she said.

He kissed her back and pulled her closer. "Hey to you, too."

Annie wanted to cry at the love radiating off of Jai. _Would Auggie ever love her like that?_ She didn't even know if he even wanted to love her.

Vivian turned back to Annie. "Oh, Annie!" She covered her face with her hands in a show of embarrassment. "I almost forgot!"

She turned to Hannah. "Hey, baby girl. C'mere, a second." She lifted the little girl into her arms. "Annie," she said, pausing to share her proud grin. "This is Hannah, soon-to-be Wilcox." She kissed her daughter's cheek affectionately. "Hannie Bananie, this is my friend Annie."

Hannah ducked her head shyly, and Annie smiled. "She's beautiful, Viv."

Vivian smiled proudly in return. "Annabelle's sleeping, over there, in the corner."

"They're so adorable, Viv."

She beamed. "Thanks, Annie," she said, bouncing Hannah on her hip. "It hasn't been easy, being a mom, but it's so worth it."

Annie ducked her head, trying to keep Vivian from seeing the tears trying to form. How was it possible that Vivian had _so much_, and yet, here she was, single, work defining her life?

From the front of the room, Joan called, "Okay, people! Let's get this party started!"

Bea took Hannah and Annabelle from Vivian and Jai, so they wouldn't have to hear the briefing, and Vivian took her seat next to Jai. Annie slipped into her seat next to Auggie.

"What was that all about?" he whispered.

"Apparently, Viv's a mom. I'll tell you later."

Joan was already beginning the meeting. A photo of a middle-aged French man was flashed up on the screen. "This is Baptiste Perrot. I'm sure you all know his success as an international arms dealer." She paused, and a photo of several pages of notebook paper, covered in pages of cipher. "He's been discovered to be working through a local private high school in Manassas, Virginia, in the past few weeks."

Another slide, this one of two high school-aged children. A pretty French girl, dark brown hair, glowing green eyes, and a Greek boy, curly hair, intense brown eyes. Both attractive, both juniors. "Aurelie Perrot and Alexander Christakos. Aurelie Perrot is Baptiste's only daughter, and Alexander Christakos is believed to be the nephew of arms dealer Niko Petrakis."

Joan nodded to Vivian, and Annie noticed that she leaned closer into Jai's side. _What had happened to Vivian? And how had she gotten in the middle of this mess?_ "Vivian Long was responsible for discovering the ring." She paused. "Vivian is now a history teacher at Mercy Christian Academy when she discovered Perrot and Christakos passing notes in her class. She confiscated them, and, the next day, she received a note from Baptiste Perrot himself." The next slide flashed on the screen, and none of them needed to hear Joan's words to feel the impact. "Leave well-enough alone, Miss Long. Leave my matters to me, and I will let Hannah, Annabelle, and Jai remain your matters. B. Perrot."

Annie gripped the edge of her seat. The man was going after innocent orphans? Going after a friend, after two friends, was war. But going after two adorable orphan girls, just trying to find love? What kind of monster was that?

"Annie, Auggie," Joan called. "You will be going undercover as teachers at Mercy Christian Academy. Annie, you will be a French teacher, and Auggie, you will be the school librarian. In order to solidify your cover as teachers, you will be going undercover as a married couple. Mr. and Mrs. August and Anais Anderson."

Annie flipped through her file, finding the information about her cover, trying desperately to ignore the fact that she was supposed to be _married_ to Auggie. She could barely sit next to him during a briefing—how in the world was she supposed to pretend she was in love with the man she was actually in love with, without tipping the genius to the fact that she actually did love him?

"Joan?" the voice beside her said, and her heart melted at the eager glee, the naked hope, she heard in his voice. _Stupid heart_.

"Yes, Auggie?"

"I'm going in?"

She offered him a smile. "Yes, Auggie. You're going in."

Annie let herself revel—for only a moment—in the pure joy she saw on her best friend's face. Auggie was going in the field. She tried to forget the way Auggie had played with danger the last time he'd been in the field, rescuing Natasha. No. This time, Auggie would be okay. She was more experienced as an agent, and she would be with him, every step of the way. They could do this.

She let herself enjoy a private smile as she watched Auggie squirm his little happy jig in his chair, noticed only by her.

Joan was already forging on through the rest of the briefing, and Annie struggled to keep up. Joan was nodding to Auggie's tech team, sitting across from them at the table. "Figuring out this code is top priority. We know Perrot is passing on intel, most likely to Niko Petrakis, and we need to know what is happening." She turned to Annie and Auggie again. "Since we know Perrot, and most likely Petrakis, will be watching you, this will be a deep cover operation. Your only association to our world will be Jai, since he and Vivian are engaged now."

The room erupted into applause, and Auggie turned to Annie. "Did I just hear Joan right?"

She couldn't help laughing at the look on his face. "Yeah. They have two girls, too."

"Jai's a _dad_?"

She laughed again at the incredulity in his voice. "Yeah. I'll tell you about it later, when we have a second."

He couldn't hide his smirk, but they listened as Joan continued. "We will pass on what we discover to you, as soon as possible, but keep your eyes and ears open for anything you can find out. If you can get close to Aurelie or Alexander, do so. We are hoping that we can use them to get to Baptiste and Niko."

Annie nodded, and Joan closed her file. "That's all. Let's get to work." She paused. "Oh, and Annie, Auggie? I need to speak to you for a moment."

The agents around the room begun packing up their things and returning to their own desks, and, as Annie and Auggie closed their files, Annie listened with a groan as a few of the passing agents offered Auggie congratulations on _finally_ wedding his new wife.

She stood to her feet and pulled him up next to her. "You'd think they'd wait until I wasn't right next to them before they bring it up," she grumbled.

He laughed as he found her elbow, letting her guide them to Joan. "Annie, they're worse than gossiping grandmothers."

She groaned again, resting her head briefly against his shoulder. "I know, I know. But seriously?"

He laughed again and patted her arm. "Just think. In a few hours, we'll be away from them all, and it'll be just you and me against the bad guys."

She groaned inwardly. _Yeah, that's what I'm afraid of_.

Joan nodded to them when they were a few feet away. Handing Annie a set of keys, she said, "We rented an apartment for you, in Manassas. The address is located in the file. We have our people sweeping it for bugs right now, just to be on the safe side. You're expected to move in tonight, and we have people furnishing it as we speak. Since you'll be both moving in today and preparing for your covers, you're not expected to start work at the high school until Wednesday. I'll have Jai and Vivian drop off prepared lesson plans and such this evening."

They both nodded, and she said, "Any questions?"

Annie had a huge question, but begging to be taken off the mission would create a lot of questions she didn't need, and she expected Auggie would be hurt by her request, too. "D-do we _have_ to be married?" she ventured.

"Don't want to marry me, Annie?" he teased. "Don't worry. I make for a very doting husband."

"You've done this before?"

"Gone undercover as a husband? Yes. And I'll knock your socks off." He was grinning broadly, proudly, and Annie wanted to smack that cheeky grin off his face. Either that, or kiss that smirk off his face.

Definitely the latter.

She chastised herself inwardly. _Annie! Stop that!_

Annie rolled her eyes, and Joan spoke. "Yes, Annie. You'll be fine. But it'll be much more convincing that a husband and wife got new jobs at a high school together, rather than just two really good friends from college." She smiled to herself as she watched the two agents' interactions. She decided, for now, that she wouldn't mention Arthur's matchmaking scheme when he'd heard about the case.

"That'll be all. Oh, and Stu has your wedding rings in tech ops. Be sure you pick them up before you leave to pack."

Annie nodded, turning and guiding Auggie out of the room.

* * *

Jai surprised the couple as they walked out of the conference room. "Married, huh?" he asked, his eyes twinkling.

Annie rolled her eyes. "Leave us alone, Jai. And what is this, with you engaged? When did this happen?"

Auggie's eyes twinkled. "Are you really engaged? To Vivian?"

Jai rolled his eyes. "Har-har. I knew you guys would say this. That's why I didn't bring it up."

Annie sighed dramatically. "Jai. You're a dad. A fah-ther. Of two _adorable_ little girls, by the way. How could you not tell us?"

"For this reason! I knew you guys would laugh."

Annie smiled affectionately, squeezing his arm. "They're adorable, Jai. Congratulations."

He smiled affectionately, thinking of them. "They're my world. I—I know I'm not going undercover with you, but I'll be around, and I'll be working the case. Just—just promise me. You can't let them do anything to Hannah or Annabelle."

Annie squeezed his hand in understanding. "We'll do everything we can, Jai."

He nodded, and Annie could swear she saw tears glimmering in his eyes. "Thanks," he said tersely, turning to see his little family huddling at his desk through the windows. "I—I'll see you later. I'm gonna go check on Vivi and the girls."

Annie nodded, and she watched with a smile as he hurried through the doors. Annie wanted to cry when she saw little Hannah run to him, crashing into his knees, and begging to be lifted into his arms. Would she ever have a little girl like Hannah, who completely adored Auggie? Would Auggie ever love her as completely as Jai loved Vivian? Would _any_ _man_ ever love her as completely as Jai loved Vivian?

She sighed, pushing the questions away. She couldn't bear to think like that, not with Auggie right next to her. Pushing her thoughts away, she bumped Auggie's shoulder with her own. Forcing lightheartedness into her voice, she asked, "Sooo… you excited for your first field-sanctioned mission in almost two years?"

He grinned over at her. "You know it. Hey, can you drop me off at my apartment, on your way to pack? I want to get started, to make sure I'm ready."

She smiled softly. "Yeah, no problem, pal. Did you want to leave right away?"

"Give me an hour? I have something I need to finish up quick."

She smiled as they reached tech ops. "Sure. Don't forget to get the rings from Stu?"

He smiled, reaching up to pat her cheek affectionately. "Sure. I'll meet you at your desk in an hour?"

She smiled, leaning her shoulder against the doorway. "Okay. One hour. Don't be late."

He swiveled in her direction, grinning cheekily. "Why would I?"

"Because. You always get caught up in your work." She grinned at him. "_Workaholic_," she accused with a teasing smile.

He grinned back at her. "Not this time. One hour. I promise."

She smiled slowly. "Okay. See you then, Mr. Anderson."

"Okay, _Mrs. Anderson_," he teased back, lowering himself into his chair, already lifting the headphones to his ears.

_Mrs. Anderson_, she thought, hugging her arms around her waist thoughtfully as she returned to her desk.

_That would be nice._

* * *

**A/N:** Sooooo… what do you think? Is Vivian and Jai weird? My sister and I thought they worked really well together, so… if you don't think so, sorry. But I already adore them as a couple, lol. And as for Hannah and Annabelle… the reasoning behind them being parents so early is coming, I promise. I know it's a wee bit impulsive… but if you've read any of my other stories, I don't know how you could think I could do a multi-chap story without putting adorable little kids in the story. :) Besides, after re-watching the episode with Vivian in it… she just seems impulsive enough to decide to adopt these kids, out of the blue. :)

Please let me know what you think!


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK! :) You don't even know how excited I am to finally be working on this again! Anybody else excited for a _Dreamer_ update? Finally? :)

And as for those of you who read _Dreamer_ before I cut the past four chapters, I really hope this isn't too repetitive for you. That's my greatest worry. There will be some repeats, but I'm trying to keep enough of it fresh so it won't be boring for you. :)

Ohhh, and PoeticallyIncorrect1, there's a wee little section in here for you! You asked (way back in JANUARY!) for the Jai/Vivian explanation. Here it finally is! :)

Since you've been waiting forever as it is… without further ado… :)

**Disclaimer:** Covert Affairs no es mio. :) (Translation: Covert Affairs is not mine!)

* * *

Chapter 4

The golden hue of the setting sun splashed through the third-story window and against the door to apartment 3E. Annie glanced back out the window, savoring the feel of the warm sunshine on her face and shoulders after the biting wind of the late December afternoon, and she pushed open the door to the apartment.

Just as Annie and Auggie were getting ready to leave Langley to go pack for the mission, Joan had snagged them, finishing up a few last-minute details (signing their marriage certificate, taking photos to be placed around the apartment, filling out a small grocery list that would last them a few days). That had taken several hours, and by the time they had been able to return to their separate homes and packed, the sun was beginning to set already.

"Wow," she whispered, staring into the apartment. "Auggie—"

He took a step closer to her, his one hand on the doorjamb, the other hanging at his side. "What?"

She slid her hand into his, not even realizing what she was doing, as she tugged him into the room. "This is unbelievable! Would you look at this?" she whispered in awe. She dropped her packed suitcase on the floor by the door.

Auggie chuckled. She was doing it again, forgetting that he couldn't see everything she could. It usually didn't happen, but this was the second time in one day. She promised everything was okay, but he wasn't sure he wanted to go into a deep cover mission, with Annie not functioning at one hundred percent.

But right now, she sounded like 100% Annie. Endearing, happy, sweet, heal-my-heart-whole Annie. That one fact set him at ease. Undercover with Annie. He hadn't been more excited about anything for a really long time.

Nudging her shoulder with his, he whispered, "What's unbelievable?"

She turned to look at him and grinned. "This apartment! C'mere," she said excitedly, tugging at his hand. He had never heard Annie sound so childlike, so full of wonder, and he couldn't help grinning at her in return. He loved seeing Annie happy—she was a hundred times more fun to be around—but seeing her like this… it made her endearingly… cute. Were best friends supposed to think each other were cute? He shook his head subtly, trying to push the thoughts from his mind. He focused back on what Annie was saying. "I don't know what Joan told those movers, but this is perfect."

She dropped his hand to twirl around like a little girl, wonder exuding from her.

"Annie?" Auggie asked next to her, laughing as he heard the swish of her flowing dress. "Annie, what are you doing?"

She stopped twirling in front of him, blushing. "Uh… twirling."

"Twirling? Since when do you twirl?"

"When I'm really happy. There are a lot of things you don't know about me, Auggie," she teased.

His eyes twinkled, and he chuckled again. "Are you going to show me the apartment?"

She smiled as she hugged his arm, tugging him a few feet to the left. "The apartment's pretty open," she explained. "When you walk in, the living room, dining room, and family room are all kinda together." She guided him back to the front door, letting him feel along the wall. "The kitchen's in the far left corner, and there's an island with the stove on it and barstools on one side… Cabinets, sink, and such are against the wall. There's a small dinner table about six feet in front of the island." She took in all the décor, trying to decide if she should describe that to Auggie, as well. High ceilings, many beautiful windows that created an airy effect, the hand-carved cherry wood cabinets, pale peach-colored walls, the plush, thick, deep pearl-colored carpet. It was perfect.

After guiding him around the front of the apartment, she guided him down the hallway, through the bathroom, and around the master bedroom. There, she stopped, taking in the appearance of the made king-size bed, covered with a lacy, pure-white cover. She admired the hand-carved mahogany posts and the ornate head of the bed. It was beautiful.

Four large windows were covered with white blinds and sheer lavender curtains, and two mahogany bookcases were full of all of their favorite books, with a good many audio books for Auggie's benefit. A photo of Annie, Danielle, and the girls sat on one nightstand, and a photo of Annie and Auggie, happy and laughing, rested atop the other. The sliding door for the closet was pushed open, revealing some clothes provided for the mission, as well as room for the clothes they had brought with them.

She stopped short, frozen with the implications. One bed. She wouldn't, _couldn't_, share a bed with Auggie. Not—not when he was still just her best friend and she would do anything to change that.

Auggie's head turned to face her. "Annie? What is it?"

She swallowed hard, trying to sound nonchalant. "Uh… there's only one bed."

"Don't want to share a bed with me, Annie?" he teased, wide grin covering his face.

Her cheeks flamed at the thought, and she dropped her head subconsciously. He couldn't see her, but—especially after her dreams the night before—it was hard to believe that sometimes. Auggie knew her better than anyone in the world, and she didn't know how to keep this secret from him.

The truth was she would _love_ to share that bed with Auggie, but not under these circumstances. Annie was pretty sure her heart would be ripped out of her chest and into a thousand pieces if she had to sleep next to Auggie, if she had to wake up next to him without feeling his strong arms around her, if she couldn't kiss him awake on a lazy Sunday morning.

With his free hand, Auggie reached out and found her jaw, pulling her from her thoughts as he turned her gaze back to him. "Hey," he said quietly. "I was just teasing, Annie. Okay?" His eyebrows furrowed in worry. What was going on with Annie lately? "Are you sure you're okay?"

She shook her head, trying to dispel the thoughts of being in Auggie's arms for real. It wasn't fair. Annie pulled away a little bit, shifting her gaze to the windows across the room. She couldn't stare into those perfect chocolate doe-eyes and fake it. "Yeah. Fine," she said.

His hand dropped from her cheek down to her upper arm and caressed it gently as his eyes fired in her direction. "Don't worry about everything so much, Annie. We're gonna be okay. I promise. And don't worry about the bed. I'll sleep on the couch, or something. We'll figure it out."

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. He was being so… _sweet_. It made her want to cry. This was so unfair.

She slid into his arms, burying her face in his chest. The action threw him a little, but he recovered quickly, wrapping his arms around her protectively. "Annie—what's going on?" he asked quietly. "You haven't really been yourself since I ran into you in the hall this morning."

She shook her head against his chest. "Sorry… I'm just—I guess I'm going through something. Thank you for being so sweet, though."

_Sweet?_ He wasn't sure he ever wanted her to think of him as _sweet_. Protective? Sure. Always there for her? Yeah. Strong, capable, on her side, her rescuer—of course, but sweet? He sighed, guiding her to where he thought the door for the master bedroom was. "C'mon," he said gently. Annie obviously wasn't going to let him in—much as he didn't like it. "Let's go unpack."

* * *

By the time Annie and Auggie had unpacked and Annie had started supper, the mood had lightened considerably. Annie had had a few minutes to relax and adjust to the situation, and Auggie had left her to unpack in peace, letting her choose her side of the closet and set up the room the way she wanted it. When she finished, he unpacked his bag in the free half of the closet while she relaxed on the couch, watching the six o'clock news. After they finished, they made their way into the kitchen, and Annie searched through the cabinets, trying to find something suitable for dinner, while Auggie sat on one of the barstools by the island, going over their covers with her, trying to lighten the mood whenever possible. His fingers trailed across the file. Scrunching his nose up at her, he asked, "Do I _really_ have to call you Ann-nayy-eyes? Whatever happened to Annie? Or something simple? Like Anna? Or just keep Anne?"

She giggled at his frustration as she leaned over the island toward him, her spoon nearly dripping the spaghetti sauce onto the counter. "Ann-nayy-eyes?" she asked.

"Well, isn't that your name?" he asked, frustrated.

She giggled again. "No… Aug, it's a French name. Ah-nah-EES. Kinda like Anna and geese together, without the 'g.'"

"How am I ever going to remember that?" He sighed and rolled his eyes. "You're supposed to be my wife, for crying out loud. And I can't even say your name!"

She laughed and reached out and ruffled his hair. "My cover is that I'm supposed to be part French. Hence, the French name."

"Hence?"

She rolled her eyes. "Be nice. I'll dump the spaghetti sauce on you if you're not careful."

He held up his hands in surrender. "Well, can I at least still call you Annie?"

She grinned mischievously. "I dunno. I kinda like Anais. It's pretty, and French, and classy." She studied him for a moment. "You know, it wouldn't hurt you to learn a bit of French, anyway."

He gave her a look that said he thought she was crazy, and he snorted. "Funny-funny!" His eyes twinkled back at her. "By the way, how do you plan on convincing Jai and Vivian to call you Anna—that name—if your own husband can't say it?"

She rolled her eyes. "Fine, but by the end of this mission, you better at least be able to say my name."

He rolled his eyes. "We'll see."

* * *

"Daddy! Daddy!"

Hannah's voice pealed down the hallway, and Jai had only a moment to look up before she appeared, crashing into him. He couldn't help but grin. Hannah and Annabelle filled his life with so much goodness.

He lifted her into his lap. "Hey, baby."

She crossed her arms over her chest impishly. "I'm not a baby!"

Jai laughed. Hannah always said that, but it still made him laugh, every time. He glanced up in time to see Vivian standing in the doorway, hands on her hips, scowling at the both of them. "Uh-oh," he whispered conspiratorially to his daughter. He wanted to laugh at the mixture of worry and victory in Hannah's eyes. "What did you do?"

"Nothing!" she hissed back at him, but she turned to bury her face in his chest, clinging to his shirt for protection.

He grinned up at Vivian then. She was still dressed in that wraparound emerald dress that brought out her eyes that she'd worn to Langley. He loved it when she wore that dress. "Hey, baby."

Snuggling deeper into Jai's arms, Hannah hissed up at him, "Mommy's not a baby either, Daddy!"

Jai and Vivian shared a knowing look, and Vivian's frown softened a little at the sight of Jai's grin. "What's the matter, Vivi?" he asked, holding his hand out to her. Sighing as she gave in, she crossed the room and intertwined her fingers with Jai's.

"Miss Hannah was supposed to be finding her pajamas, not running to Daddy."

Jai smirked. "She knew Daddy was leaving." They had agreed that Jai would run over the lesson plans to Annie and Auggie, and Vivian would stay with the girls, to try and get them to bed on time. It was already seven o'clock.

"Hannah," Vivian called, a warning in her voice, and Hannah peaked around Jai's arm, waiting for Vivian to continue. "Go get your pajamas, please. I'll be in in a minute."

Their daughter slid off of Jai's lap and scampered back to the room she shared with Annabelle, and Jai grinned. Vivian sighed. "That girl."

Jai laughed at the look on his fiancé's face and tugged her closer. She tumbled into his lap, and he pulled her closer, framing her face with his hands, as he leaned in for a kiss. He'd never thought he could be so happy, that he could be so in love. He had begun to hope that he could have this happiness with Annie, but Vivi—Vivi was so much better than Annie. She reminded him why he'd followed in his father's footsteps to serve his country in the first place. He'd never wanted to be like Henry Wilcox—all Jai had ever wanted to do was be a hero, to help rescue those who needed help. When Vivi looked at him, she looked at him like he was a hero, and it still took his breath away.

"I love you," he whispered, a moment before their lips met. Her lips were soft, and she tasted like the peach cobbler they'd had for dessert a few hours ago. She fit perfectly into his arms. Kissing her was always more perfect than he could have ever predicted. She fit perfectly into his life.

She pulled away with a hesitant, shy smile. "Not now, Jai," she said, glancing back toward the girls' room. "I have to get Hannah to bed."

His gaze lingered on the doorway to Hannah's room. "Come with me," he said impulsively. "You and the girls."

She looked at him as if he was crazy. "Do you not remember how long it took to get Bella to sleep last night?"

It had been nearly three hours. He remembered. Distinctly. He rubbed Vivian's arm gently. "C'mon, baby," he said. "The girls need to get used to being around Annie and Auggie, anyway. We'll be spending a lot of time together. I want the girls to feel sure they can trust Annie and Auggie, and you know Hannah will love the adventure."

A slow grin crossed Vivian's face at the thought of that.

"And I'll help put Bella to bed," he offered with his best charmer grin. By the slow smile inching up Vivian's face, he knew he had won the battle.

* * *

Annie stood back as she opened the door, expecting to see just Jai and Vivian—that was all she had been able to see in the peephole when she had checked. "Whoa, hey!" she called with a grin when she saw Hannah and Annabelle, too. "It's a regular party, huh?"

Jai grinned over at Annie as he ushered Hannah through the door. "Hey, Annie."

Vivian reached out and gave Annie a hug—probably the fifth of the day—and Vivian shut the door behind her. Annie crouched down to the ground in front of Hannah and grinned gently. "Hey, baby girl. Are you gonna let me hold you now?" Annie held her hands out to Hannah, and Hannah looked back at Jai, almost as if for approval.

His eyes lit with amusement. He half-expected Hannah to announce that she wasn't a baby, but she didn't.

Annie must have seen some sign of consent, and she lifted Hannah into her arms, dancing around with her for a few moments, eliciting a series of giggles. Annie talked to Jai and Vivian for a few minutes about their drive over and how their day had been before she excused herself to go get Auggie from the master bedroom, twirling and dancing Hannah all the way down the hallway, and Hannah's laughter echoed through the apartment the whole way.

Auggie listened as Annie's padded footsteps and Hannah's childish laughter came closer. He suddenly felt an overwhelming desire to be able to see again, to see Annie dancing into the room, still wearing that wraparound dress she'd been wearing since she'd picked him up earlier that afternoon, carefree grin on her face, Hannah glued to Annie's hip. He wasn't sure why the idea appealed so much to him, but the idea of seeing Annie so happy—especially after the day she'd been having—thrilled him.

Annie came to a stop in the middle of the door, studying Auggie, as she bounced Hannah on her hip. "Hey, Aug, Jai and Vivian are here with those… materials."

He nodded and stood to his feet, and Annie waited for him. She knew he didn't need her to lead him back to the kitchen table, where Jai, Vivian, and Annabelle were waiting, but she liked walking with Auggie. "What were you doing back there, anyway?"

He reached out instinctively, grasping her elbow, as Annie led the three of them down the hall. "Not much. Just setting up my computer."

When they reached the kitchen table, Annie handed Hannah back to Jai, who took the girls over to the couch while Vivian explained the lesson plans and the books about library science to them. Annie and Auggie picked it up fairly quickly, and when Auggie went to find a snack after they were finished, Annie hissed across the table to Vivian, "When did all this happen?"

Vivian looked around, pretending to not have a clue what Annie was talking about. "When did what happen?"

Annie rolled her eyes, gesturing to the room in general. "Viv, you know what I mean. You're engaged to Jai? And you're adopting two girls? What happened in the past year and a half?"

Vivian blushed and fiddled with the hair tie around her wrist. "I dunno—I mean… Jai was so nice on that flight back to the US, after everything happened in London. He's charming and kind, and I dunno… I just thought that he would be a nice guy to know. Ya know? He's a gentleman, and he treated me… good. Better than Jonathan ever did. It was something I could get used to. But I moved on, got recertified as a secondary teacher, started to teach history at MCA. But then…" Tears blurred her vision. "About a month after I got back to the States, I was getting sick a lot. Morning sickness, and everything, so I took a pregnancy test. I was pregnant, with Jonathan's baby. I was scared at first, but after I thought about it for a while, I just couldn't wait to meet my little baby. I started decorating the nursery, and picking out names, and I told my family—all the exciting stuff, and everyone was backing me up the whole way. I was so ready to be a mom, Annie. I hated Jonathan for leaving me to this all on my own, but I was going to be the best mom in the world. I couldn't wait to meet Evey or Sawyer."

"Those were the names?" Annie asked, studying Vivian's face. Her friend looked so lost in her pain, in the memories, and Annie didn't know what to do to make it better.

"Yeah. Eve Madeleine Long or Sawyer Joshua Long. I was so excited… and then, at eleven weeks, I—I miscarried." Tears blazed down her cheeks. "I—I didn't understand, and I felt so alone. I already felt like this baby was a part of me, a part of my life… and it was just ripped from me, like—like the world was saying I wasn't fit to be a mother! I was depressed for months." She glanced over at Jai. "Three months earlier, I didn't even think I ever wanted to be a mom… and then, then I was just _not _a mother anymore, and I felt like the one thing I was meant to do was ripped from me… Then—one morning, I went to a coffee shop here in D. C. I was grading some papers and having breakfast, when a couple came into the coffee shop. The husband ordered, and everyone was talking to the woman—she had the most beautiful newborn baby girl ever, and I just lost it. That—that could have been Evey and me, and it just killed me inside. What was wrong with me that I couldn't have my baby, but she could? I didn't understand. I was just sitting there, bawling in the middle of the coffee shop, paralyzed. Nobody really seemed to notice, even. Then—then Jai walked in the door. He recognized me immediately, and I told him about what happened—I—I don't really think I had a choice—but he just stuck around, all day. Talked with me, walked with me in the park, listened while I ranted and cried… and then, that afternoon, before he left, he asked me to meet him for dinner the next night. I don't think it was really a date, but it was good to have a friend. Slowly, I began to fall for him…" Vivian glanced over at Jai with the girls. "He's the best thing that ever happened to me, Annie."

Annie smiled and reached across the table, squeezing Vivian's hand. "I'm glad you found each other. But—but where did Hannah and Annabelle come from?"

Vivian laughed, wiping away her tears. "I don't know where he got that crazy idea from. I don't know why he was so sure we had to adopt, rather than try for children of our own… but he was on a one-track mind, like there could be nothing else. I've never seen him so passionate about anything. Almost immediately after I agreed to marry him, he brought out all these brochures about foster care and adopting, and how it would be perfect for us… he'd been thinking about it for a long time, apparently… after a few weeks, we were certified foster parents, and about a month after that, Hannah and Bella came to live with us." Vivian glanced back at Jai and the girls, and her eyes connected with Jai's. She smiled tremulously, and turned back to Annie. "And now—now I'm a mommy again."

Annie came around the table and pulled Vivian into a hug. "Oh, Viv…"

Vivian shook her head. "No, don't worry about it. It's the past. And I have Jai and the girls now. There's no need for pity."

Before they knew what had happened, Jai was across the room and at Vivian's side. Taking her into his arms, he held her tight. "Baby… Vivi… what's wrong?"

She pushed away from him gently and smiled up at him. "It's nothing. I was just—I just thought Annie should know what happened since we saw each other last." She leaned a few inches closer, kissing him gently. "I was just telling Annie how happy you make me."

A slow, proud grin slid up his face. "I make you happy, huh?"

She grinned easily. "Yeah. Really happy." She leaned in for another quick kiss. "Ready to go?" She glanced around him, to the girls, passed out on the couch. "I think the girls need to get to bed."

Jai glanced back at them and chuckled. "Maybe so." He kissed her gently and helped pull her to her feet. Vivian tucked at his side, Jai looked at Annie. "Thanks, Annie."

She frowned at him curiously. "For what?" They were the ones who brought the lesson plans and books.

He glanced at Vivian and the girls. "For doing this mission. For going undercover close to Vivi, protecting her, again. I—I know it's our job, but it means… a lot to me, personally."

Annie smiled shyly. "Yeah. No problem." She watched as Jai and Vivian gathered the girls, and as they left, Annie couldn't help wondering if she could ever have what Jai and Vivian had. She probably shouldn't have been watching that little, intimate interaction between Jai and Vivian, but they were a million times more adorable together than Annie would have ever predicted, and she hadn't been able to _stop_ watching. Annie didn't want anything more than she wanted what Jai and Vivian already had together. They were magical.

Could Annie have a magical love? She didn't want to bet on it. Not yet, anyway. Not when the man she loved only saw her as his best pal.

* * *

"Hey," Annie said, lowering herself to the ground, Indian-style, next to Auggie, and she handed him a cold glass. "Here."

It was nine o'clock. Jai, Vivian, and the girls had left a little under an hour ago, giving Annie time to arrange her toiletries in the bathroom and take a quick shower. She was now dressed in flowered flannel pajama pants and an oversized Army tee-shirt she'd stolen from her dad's dresser a couple of years ago. Her hair hung in damp ringlets around her face.

Auggie glanced up from the pages of the file he was studying and his gaze followed the sound of her movements. He reached out his hand to her, and she placed the glass in his hand. He frowned curiously at the cold sweat on the glass. "What is it?"

She grinned as she took a sip from her own glass. "Milkshake."

"A milkshake?" he asked. "In December?"

Annie giggled as she leaned her shoulder against his. It was so tempting to hug his strong arm and kiss his shoulder, to lean into the fortress that Auggie was, to feel his arms around her again. It would be so easy to forget that they were still just best friends. Being with Auggie all day like this—it was easy to settle into this life, to be Auggie's wife. If only that could be true.

She turned to study the papers spread out across the living room floor, and she picked one up, interested. She ran her fingers across the pattern of bumps absentmindedly. "What were you reading about?"

He shrugged. "Intel on Aurelie Perrot and Alexander Christakos. What the agency knows about them, possible entry points." He tasted the milkshake again. "What flavor is this?"

Her eyes twinkled as she watched him drink more. "I don't remember everything I put in there. Oranges, raspberries, chocolate, peanut butter… maybe some vanilla and peaches."

Auggie's nose scrunched up in disgust. "Really?"

She giggled. "Yeah. Every time my family moved to a new place, we started this tradition—milkshakes every night in a new home. After a while, my parents had me make them, because everyone liked mine better than Dad's. And don't even give me that look. I know you liked it until I told you what was in it."

Auggie rolled his eyes. "But oranges… and peanut butter? Together?"

She just laughed and reached across his lap for another of the papers. Auggie glanced over at her. "You realize I had those in a special order, right?"

Her eyes widened, and she handed him the pages again. "Sorry. Maybe I should go get my file…" She set her milkshake on the ground next to her and started to get to her feet.

Auggie laughed and reached out and grabbed her hand, tugging her down next to him again. Truth be told, he was happy to have Annie back at his side, meddling in his business, sharing her life with his. "Don't worry about it, Annie." He took another sip of his milkshake and reached to his left, handing her one of the books Jai and Vivian had brought. "Here… I hate to ask, but none of these books they brought were in Braille. I don't know how I'm going to learn how to be a librarian when all the books they brought me are for a sighted person."

She smiled sympathetically and accepted the book from him. _Did he really have to ask?_ Even before she knew she was in love with him, she would have done anything for Auggie.

She set her milkshake by her knee and curled up against him. It was probably too intimate a gesture for just friends, but Annie was tired, and tired of fighting all her emotions, and Auggie smelled _really_ good. Besides, there was something about reading a book with another person that was intimate—even a book about the Dewey decimal system.

"Okay," she said, finishing off her milkshake before she opened the book. "Chapter one…"

* * *

Baptiste Perrot ripped open the manila envelope and glanced up at the doorway, making sure his daughter was nowhere in sight. Aurelie didn't need to see the contents of the envelope. He scoured the plans inside. His partner was reckless for sending the plans so accessibly, so easy to intercept, but that couldn't be helped now. The plans were already here, and they didn't appear to be tampered with. Still, he would be talking to Niko in the very near future about taking more precautions.

_B. P.,_

_Here changed information for plan. More plans come forth, as product develop._

_N. P._

Baptiste rolled his eyes at Niko's atrocious, broken French. They communicated this way to increase their security, but Niko's French was enough to make Baptiste reconsider the plan.

Baptiste studied the plans with a bit of worry. They were too smart for their own good.

The plans were coming along well—too well. They still weren't perfect—wouldn't be for a while—but they had made enough progress that Bill wouldn't be happy.

This was _not_ good.

* * *

**A/N:** Yeahhhh, big changes in store for _Dreamer_! I hope you're as excited as I am! Please review! :)


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N:** Hello everybody!

There are just a few things I want to cover. First of all, if you just now discovered Dreamer, I'm glad you're here, and I hope you enjoy the ride! This is probably my favorite fanfic ever, so I'm glad it's been so well received. I hope you enjoy it, too. (You should also probably know that I **live** off of reviews. So. Seriously. Please. Review. :))))) Secondly, if you were reading this before, but are confused because there are less chapters—it's true. I got rid of half of it, because I wasn't thrilled. I'm in the process of editing and reposting and such. Hopefully, we'll be up to date by the end of next week. :) Thirdly, this was started in January. I had all intentions of having this done by now, so no, spoilers for season 2 will most likely not be included. If it fits, I might, but so far there are no spoilers for season 2. Mainly because I wasn't expecting Ben to _live_. :/

Lastly, my internship is taking me away from home until the end of next week (starting tomorrow afternoon), which is why I wanted to get this updated now. There won't be any updates next week, but I hope to edit the next 2-4 chapters with me, and hopefully I can edit that while I'm not working for my internship. Hopefully, that also means that Dreamer will start picking up some speed. :)

Sorry for the enormous A/N! Okay, that's all for now. :)

**Disclaimer:** I owneth not Covert Affairs, but I do owneth a love for Shakespearean English. :]

* * *

Chapter 5

Annie woke to the sight of Auggie's head hanging down over hers. Frowning, she looked around, slowly recognizing the apartment surrounding them. Oh, yeahhh… but why was she on the floor of the living room?

She scooted away so she didn't conk heads with Auggie when she sat up, and she rubbed her eyes. _How had she gotten on the living room floor?_ She distinctly remembered going to bed in the master bedroom the night before.

She sat up slowly, and groaned. No one should sleep on a hard floor, even if it is carpeted. She reached back and tried to massage her left shoulder and neck, which had taken the brunt of her weight, but it didn't yield much comfort. She rolled her shoulders a few times, wanting to curse her stupidity.

She only had to look at Auggie to see how she'd ended up on the hard, cold, unyielding floor instead of remaining safely in the warm, comfortable king-sized bed.

Annie hugged her legs to her chest as she watched Auggie sleep. He looked so peaceful, so at ease. She reached out and ran her fingers through his unruly hair. She loved him too much for her own good.

She pushed herself to her feet and found the eggs in the refrigerator. It was almost nine, and Auggie would be up soon. As she pulled out the frying pan and the vegetable oil, she added one more thing to her list of things to do today. Buy a mattress for Auggie. It would take time out of the myriad of other things she had to do to be ready for this mission, but it was a small price she'd have to pay if she wanted to be able to get a full night's sleep without interruptions—and sleepwalking.

She scrambled some eggs and made hash browns for the both of them, and sat down with the French 1 textbook Vivian and Jai had brought over the night before. She didn't have a lot of time to be ready for tomorrow.

* * *

Annie slipped her hand into Auggie's just before the entered the glass double-doors of the local mattress store. Auggie turned to look at her as they stepped into the building. "Annie, where are we?"

She laughed. "I felt bad that you had to sleep on the couch when I got the whole bed to myself. So I figured we should get you a mattress, before we have to be at the school everyday, and all you do is complain to the kids about how you've been relegated to the couch."

He laughed. "Annie, would I do that?"

She rolled her eyes. "Probably." She surveyed the store. "Oh, and none of those fancy TempurPedic mattresses or whatever they're called. I'm not made of cash."

He laughed and looked over at her fondly. "You mean _we're_ not made of cash. It's coming from _our_ bank account, remember?"

She blushed. "Oh, yeah." Sometimes it was hard to remember that she and Auggie were supposed to be married, that they were supposed to be even closer than they already were. It would take some adjusting.

For the next forty-five minutes, she followed Auggie around as he hopped from mattress to mattress, testing out each one. She was pretty sure his goal was to do something outrageous to each mattress—flopping in the most unusual ways, and landing in the strangest positions. She couldn't help laughing at his antics.

While he was resting on one mattress, he pretended to be asleep, fake snoring for nearly twenty minutes straight (not adorable, normal snoring—loud, obnoxious, disturbing snoring), until one of the store's employees came over and tried to wake him up. Annie stood at a distance, silently snickering, while the employee shook Auggie's shoulder, bending over him. Auggie ignored him for a few minutes, and then his eyes popped open, and he stared straight ahead, right into the employee's eyes, and screamed.

The employee tripped over himself in his attempt to scramble away, and Annie rolled her eyes as she walked back over to him. "What's the matter with you?" she demanded, pulling him off the mattress. "They're probably going to kick us out of here, and then were are we going to get you a mattress?"

He just shrugged and grinned.

"Was it worth it?"

His eyes twinkled, but he didn't say anything.

When they reached the next mattress, Auggie reached for her hand, intertwining her fingers with his, and he grinned at her. "Ready?"

"Ready for what?"

His eyes twinkled as his eyes locked with hers. "To flop."

She groaned. "Auggie…"

He caressed her hand with his thumb gently. "C'mon. For me?"

When he looked at her with those chocolate eyes like that, there was no way she could say no. "Fine. One time."

They flopped back onto the bed, and Auggie laughed. Annie just groaned. She was sure she'd done something not-good to her neck.

Auggie pushed himself farther onto the bed, curling up on his side, and Annie followed suit, watching him lay there. "So what's the vote on this one?" she said, settling into the mattress. This one was almost more comfortable than her mattress back at the apartment. She tried to focus on the topic at hand, but it was downright distracting, sharing a bed with Auggie, only a foot away, as he caressed her arm absentmindedly.

He shrugged. "I dunno. What do you think?"

"I think you should hurry up and decide, so I can go eat supper."

He pushed himself to his feet and helped her stand. "Okay."

"Okay?"

He nodded and Annie got the attention of one of the employees.

As they walked out of the store, an employee following with the mattress, Annie leaned a few inches closer to Auggie and asked, "Was it worth it?"

"Was what worth it?"

She glanced at the employee behind them, still giving Annie and Auggie strange looks. "Making all the employees think you're a crazy man with that stunt back there."

He gave her an innocent look. "What, the snoring?"

She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, bright guy, the snoring."

He shrugged and gave her another grin, his eyes twinkling. "Everybody loves a blind guy."

Annie just groaned as she unlocked the car for Auggie to climb in. Sometimes, he was too incorrigible.

* * *

Annie took in the surroundings of the park just around the corner from hers and Auggie's apartment as she walked down the street. Her hand was tucked in his, and she loved the way he caressed the back of her hand gently with his thumb. It felt natural, as if it was something they'd done a thousand times before.

The park was decorated with white Christmas lights and soft Christmas music filled the block. People were milling around, dressed in warm coats and scarves and gloves, laughing and drinking hot cocoa. A display was set up with a backdrop that displayed the world of Whoville, and someone looked like he was about to step up to the podium and begin to read.

"So, Annie," Auggie whispered, his head turned toward her, "are you ready to be Mrs. Anderson?"

His eyes were twinkling, and a grin threatened to explode off his face. Undercover work was Auggie's drug. He was getting his dream, and Annie could tell that nothing in the world meant more to him, than being able to be here, tangibly saving his country, once again. The fact that they were doing it together was only a bonus.

Standing there, at the fringe of the park in Manassas, standing by Auggie's side, she couldn't help but catch the fervor. Undercover with Auggie. They could do this.

She grinned and pressed a kiss to his cheek. "Yeah, Aug, I'm ready."

They walked around the edge of the park for several minutes, testing each other on their covers. To anyone else, it sounded like any young couple trying to get to know each other. Auggie would provide statements, and Annie would tell him if the statement was true or false.

"You broke your elbow in third grade, trying to kiss a boy. His name was Rossabi Nikolivamos."

She would stare at him when he came up with something that outrageous, roll her eyes, and then laugh. "False. But I did break my arm when I was in third grade. Next question."

"Your sister shaved your head when you were three years old."

She laughed out loud. "True."

He turned to look at her. "True?"

She laughed again. "True. Elle wasn't a very nice sister."

Auggie almost asked her who Elle was, and then he remembered—in order to protect Dani, Michael, and the girls, they'd changed her name to Gabrielle, but Annie called her Elle. It would take some getting used to to hear "Elle" all the time instead of "Dani."

They continued on in this fashion for a while, quizzing each other, teasing, laughing, while someone disguised as Cindy Lou Who's father read the story of the Grinch. As the story drew to a close, the music started up again, and people filled the dance floor that had been set up. Young couples, little children, grandparents, and everyone in between danced to the sound of Jingle Bells and I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day, and Annie stared after them wistfully. They looked so happy, so content, so free. Like nothing could harm them.

She tugged Auggie to a stop, still watching them, lost in her thoughts. When Auggie bumped her shoulder with his, she turned to him. He was holding a hand out to her. "May I have this dance?"

She grinned slowly as she placed her hand in his. "How did you know?"

He chuckled. "There are just some things I know, Annie Anderson," he said, his eyes twinkling. He let her lead them to the dance floor set up in the middle of the park, and the first chords of Last Christmas filled the air.

Annie wrapped her arms around his neck, and rested her head on his shoulder. Auggie wrapped his arms around her, holding her close as they danced in cadence to the music.

Dancing with Auggie was nice. She had known, ever since she met Auggie, that he would always be the one to protect her. But dancing with Auggie—he held her close, shielded her from the other dancers—there was something special about it. Then he started singing to her, in a soft, sweetly intimate baritone. She could tell he didn't sing to just anyone. So when the song changed, his voice dropped off, and he blushed adorably, she pushed up onto her tiptoes and brushed a sweet kiss against his lips. "Thank you, Auggie."

She slipped back into his embrace and smiled into his shoulder as they danced into the night.

* * *

**A/N:** Please review!


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N:** I'm back! :) Thanks for all the lovely reviews, alerts, and favorites while I was gone… I seriously didn't expect so much activity! :) I'm glad you all love this so much. :)

I have at least one other chapter ready to post for this (almost two), but I will probably wait a few days to post them. Maybe that means there will be less of a gap if I get stumped again. :) Let me know what you think, pretty please! :)

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Covert Affairs.

* * *

Chapter 6

Annie screamed as someone lifted her off the park bench and tightly secured her in his arms. She was about to yell for the police, or that he put her down, or at least that he explain right now what he was doing, when a familiar voice, filled with that honey-warm laughter soothed over her. "Annie, shhh. It's just me."

Her heart leapt in her throat. "Auggie?"

He dipped down to plant a kiss on her temple. "Yeah, baby, it's me."

Auggie.

She should have known. She could smell a hint of his cologne, and she would know that wool coat anywhere. It's not that it was distinctive, but it was Auggie's, and that alone made it unforgettable.

She squirmed a little in his arms, trying to figure out where he was taking her, but he held her securely in place. She groaned. "Auggie! Where are you taking me?"

He laughed. "Close your eyes. It's a surprise."

She sighed, but did as she was told. Resting her head against his arm, she asked, "Sooo, can I have a hint at least?"

He laughed again. "No. Just be quiet. We're almost there."

She made face at him, but she secretly reveled in the sound of his laughter and the way his arms tightened around her protectively. She was so lucky.

A few moments later, Auggie deposited her safely on the ground, steadying her before he cupped her face in his hands and whispered, "Okay. You can open."

Her eyes fluttered open to discover Auggie less than a foot away. His big chocolate eyes were locked with hers, and he caressed her cheek softly. "Hey."

A slow smile lifted the corners of her lips. "Hey."

He leaned forward a few inches and captured her lips against his. As he deepened the kiss, she wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer, as she leaned up on tiptoe. They'd both been on separate missions to opposite ends of the world, and she didn't know it was possible to miss him this much. When he pulled away, he touched his forehead to hers, his eyes twinkling as he studied her. "Miss me?"

She didn't even know how to tell him how much. A five-week mission in Siberia was torture without Auggie with her the whole way. She settled for nodding furiously before she leaned in, kissing him again. When she pulled away, she breathed out, "I love you."

"I know." An all-knowing, wise look filled his eyes. "I know."

"No, I really, _really_ love you, Auggie. Like—I can't even figure out how to say how much." Tears filled her eyes, and she didn't even know why. She reached up, caressing his cheek, much like he'd been doing for her. "I don't think—I don't—Auggie, I don't think I could live without you."

His eyes twinkled back at her, and he leaned in to kiss her once more. "Me, too, babe."

He reached for her hand, guiding her to the blanket and picnic laid out for them both. The view was spectacular, and it touched her that this had been his first thought after he'd returned from Argentina. He sat down on the blanket, pulling her down next to him. As they ate their lunch, Auggie held her tight in his arms, as if he truly _couldn't_ bear to let her go.

Halfway through the meal, she turned around in his arms, flashing him a goofy, lovestruck grin, and she said, "I love you, Auggie. A lot."

He leaned in and kissed her sweetly. "I love you, too."

The sound of someone rustling through the stuff in their closet pulled her from her dream, and she rubbed her eyes. She relaxed when she saw it was Auggie. It would take some getting used to, living with another person. She closed her eyes again, resting, while he dressed, reliving the dream a little. Auggie was everything she'd ever wanted in a man—kind, intelligent, witty, strong, and so much more.

Then it hit her again —this Auggie wasn't the Auggie in her dreams. This Auggie couldn't see, and he definitely didn't know how she felt about him. This Auggie wasn't the Auggie who couldn't live without her.

Annie watched, tears filling her eyes, as she watched Auggie tuck his sage green dress shirt into his black dress pants and reach for his matching tie. How was it possible that he could be right here, but he didn't have a clue? She buried her face in her pillow, hoping Auggie wouldn't notice her tears.

* * *

Annie suppressed a grin when Auggie reached for her hand. They'd decided to try out one of the breakfast cafés in town, rather than cook their own breakfast, this morning. Auggie seemed more excited than the past two days, but she was more excited, too. The mission was officially beginning! There was just something about a new mission. It was fire and fuel.

Auggie guided them both into the line that was waiting to order, and Annie slipped into the character of Anaïs Anderson. Anaïs was shier, more demure. Sweet, less independent. Annie stood, tucked at Auggie's side, listening quietly as he made up stories about former students and teased her gently about her French family.

There was something about Anaïs and Auggie together… Auggie was more protective, more tender, towards Anaïs, and Annie couldn't help but see how much Anaïs brought out the good in Auggie. Even more than Annie usually did.

When they reached the front of the line, the young barista—her nametag read Sadie—asked what she could get for the pair, and Auggie rattled off how he wanted his coffee and turned to Annie expectantly. "Just a hot cocoa for me, please," she said in her slight French accent that she'd perfected over the past two days, smiling shyly as she hid closer into Auggie's arms. _How was it so easy to love him, so easy to be Anaïs?_ It was almost as if she was meant to play the role.

Annie glanced up at Sadie before she totaled the order. "Oh, and can we have a chocolate-chip muffin and an apple-cinnamon scone, please?"

"Sure," Sadie said, already preparing their drinks. "You two aren't from around here, are you?"

Auggie seemed to pull Annie closer to him at Sadie's words. "Why do you ask?"

Sadie shrugged. "Oh, I just know most of the regulars by now, that's all. I would have remembered that French accent."

Annie blushed prettily, but she smiled into Auggie's shoulder as he caressed her arm gently. It was almost as if they _had_ been in love since the sixth grade, just like their file said. How did he do that? "We just moved to town," Auggie supplied. "We are the new teachers at Mercy Christian Academy."

"Oh?" Sadie asked, handing Annie her hot cocoa.

Auggie flashed her his charmer grin. "Well, Annie's the new teacher—I'm just the new librarian."

Sadie shrugged and placed Auggie's drink in his hand. "Seems to me that a librarian should be worth just as much as any teacher would. Schools would be lost without the librarians. I'm sure you're doing a great work."

Auggie blushed a little at that, and Annie grinned up at him proudly before accepting the paper bag containing their scone and muffin. She waited as Auggie paid, and, on their way out of the café, Sadie called out after them, "Y'all come back now, ya hear?"

Auggie held up a hand in farewell, and Annie held the door open for him. As they settled into their car, Annie handed Auggie his scone, and she took a sip from her hot cocoa. She hummed with satisfaction and turned to look at Auggie. He was grinning from ear-to-ear and he was nearly glowing.

"What are you so excited about?"

She didn't need an answer, though. There could only be one thing that had Auggie so excited. He was undercover again. He'd been awake and ready at nearly six o'clock—even before Annie'd woken for the day—and he'd been practically bouncing off the walls ever since. She knew he was ready—Auggie would be the best librarian Mercy Christian Academy would ever see—but did he have to act like he was so ready to storm into a situation with arms dealers and ugly weapons and death and deception? Yes, Auggie was in the field, but that didn't mean he was invincible.

That one sentence was all it had taken, and he was off, rambling about everything he was excited about and all that he could do. She couldn't help thinking about all the dreams she'd been having lately, though—dreams about an Auggie who loved the thrill of being a spy but cared more about her than being a great, late James Bond. She hoped Auggie knew that lesson, too.

"Just… please don't get yourself killed before we can even start the mission, Aug, okay?"

She wondered how much of her heart he could hear in her words. He reached over and squeezed her knee reassuringly. "I'll do my best, Annie," he said.

It didn't bring much comfort. Auggie was as reckless, impulsive, and driven by his heart as she was.

* * *

Annie offered the world a smile as she dropped Auggie off at the library a little over an hour later. Since a few people were watching, she squeezed his hand affectionately and planted a chaste kiss on his cheek. She had to choke her words of good-bye out. "Bye, Auggie. I love you."

Confusion flashed across his face, and then he nodded in understanding. "Love you, too, baby," he whispered, and her heart thudded in her chest. Up until now, they'd mainly been able to act like they always had—just friends—but this was near torture.

She kissed his cheek again and dropped his hand silently, making her way to her classroom. She heard him calling after her, as if he was trying to figure out why she had gone so silent, why she had left so suddenly, but she ignored him. With the size of the lump in her throat, she didn't see any other choice.

As she stepped though the door to her room, she noticed a pretty girl with dark hair eying her curiously.

"Hello," Annie said to her, watching her as she made her way to her desk.

"Hi." The girl glanced back down at her homework spread out before her.

"What's your name?" Annie ventured. She was already completely aware who the girl was, but she needed to get Aurelie to trust her.

"Aurelie Perrot," she said with a small smile. "You're our new French teacher?"

Annie nodded, dropping her books onto the table. "Mrs. Anderson."

It still felt weird to say that. It did freakish things to her heart, at the thought of being married to Auggie, not to mention how it made her feel like she was fifty years old.

Aurelie smiled at her brightly. "Mrs. Marais said that you were born in France?"

Annie nodded, remembering her cover. Born in France, lived in Paris for the first eleven years of her life. "Mmm-hmm," she hummed.

Aurelie's eyes brightened at the thought of it. "What's it like? In France, I mean?"

"Well…" How did she explain it? Every place she'd ever been to—they all had their own personalities, and she wasn't sure she could do it justice.

"Please?" Aurelie whispered. "I was born there, but after my mom died, I haven't been back. I wasn't even a year old when we left. I just want to know what it's like."

Annie smiled, sitting down at her desk. "Okay. I don't remember too much, because I left when I was eleven…"

* * *

Annie smiled as she slipped into the teacher's lounge, spotting Auggie. He was sitting at one of the tables, eating the BLT she'd packed for him that morning. Despite the fact that he was sitting alone, he looked so cheerful, happy, and confident. She reached into the refrigerator, grabbing her packed lunch, and kissed his cheek quickly before taking the seat next to him. "Hey, sweetheart," she said with a soft smile.

He grinned in the direction of her voice. "Hey, babe."

Her heart ached at the easy way the words flew from his lips, as if he actually meant the endearment. Bumping his shoulder gently, keeping the air light, she asked, "Soooo, Mr. Anderson. How's being the librarian of Mercy Christian Academy?"

He grinned cheekily as he swallowed the last bite of his sandwich. "Positively scintillating."

"You're so smart," she teased. "I knew there was a reason I married you."

He mock-gasped. "You mean, you didn't marry me for my guns?" he asked, flexing his biceps.

Annie laughed as she leaned against him. "Maybe a little bit of that, too."

Just at that moment, Vivian and another teacher entered the room. Annie stilled as Vivian watched them with a smile. "You two are so adorable together," she commented. "Aren't they, Tess?"

The woman standing beside Vivian smiled and nodded. "You look so happy together. You're the new librarian and French teacher?"

Annie nodded, offering her hand. "Anaïs Anderson. You can call me Annie. This is my husband, Auggie."

Auggie offered his hand, and Tess shook it hesitantly. As the two women took the seats across from Annie and Auggie, Vivian commented, "I just can't believe you two have been married for three years! I just hope that when Jai and I are together as long as you are, that we can still be as hopelessly in love."

Annie smiled. Slipping into Auggie's arms, she said adoringly, "Well, when the guy is as great as Auggie, it's not hard."

Vivian and Tess looked at each other, grinned, and, in unison, they cooed, "Awww…"

Annie rolled her eyes. "Thanks a lot, Viv."

She smiled in return. "No problem, _mon amie_."

Annie smiled bravely in return. It wasn't hard to pretend to be affectionate to Auggie. That was the easy part. The hard part was returning to the reality of the apartment, knowing that none of it was real.

* * *

Jai grinned slowly as he leaned against the doorjamb to Vivian's classroom, waiting for her to look up and notice him. She sat there, at her desk, grading what looked to be history tests, her lips crooked into a puzzled scowl. He loved it when she made that face.

He cleared his throat lightly, and grinned when she looked up at him. "Hey, baby," he said.

She grinned back at him radiantly. "Jai." He crossed the room and sat against her desk, facing her. Propping his left hand on her desk, he cupped her face with his free hand and kissed her hello.

Smiling a little, she looked up at him. He could tell the kiss had made her thoughts all fuzzy, and it made him smile, knowing he still had that power over her. For some people, their love and passion died as time went by, but for him and Vivian? It just grew every day.

"What was that for?" she whispered.

He laughed in response, caressing her cheek lightly as he leaned forward to kiss her forehead. "Just because."

She smiled softly. "What are you doing here?"

He shrugged. "No reason. Just wanted to say hi, to check up on my fiancé. Is that okay?"

Vivian knew he was being overprotective, worrying about her because of the note she'd received last week, but she was glad he was here. Jai was incredibly adorable when he got protective of her and the girls.

She leaned forward, pressing her lips to his lightly. "Fine with me," she said with a happy smile, and she relaxed back into her chair. "Wanna help me grade Civil War pretests?"

He made a funny face, and Vivian laughed. "No thanks," he said, pulling up an extra chair next to hers. "I'll just keep you company until I have to go back to work."

* * *

Auggie was typing at his laptop in his office in the library. He was still trying to figure out that kiss that Annie had given him the night before. It had been soft and sweetly emotional, as if she really _was_ Anaïs Anderson, and Auggie was really the husband that she loved more than anything. Truth be told, he wasn't sure why he had started to sing to Annie, but it just seemed like something Auggie the Librarian would do. He wasn't expecting the kiss, and he had no clue how he felt about it. Two teenagers, sitting at a table not far away, hissed back and forth, breaking his train of thought.

A girls' voice. She sounded almost frantic. "Zander!"

A slow, patronizing boys' voice followed, thick with his Greek accent. "Ari. Listen. You know we have no say in this."

A groan. "Zander! Haven't you stopped to think how wrong this is? That these messages we pass along could be destroying lives?"

Though he hadn't met them before, he knew that the two voices had to belong to Aurelie Perrot and Alexander Christakos.

She was still talking. "I _know_ my dad, Zander! He doesn't have a kind bone in his body. And you know your uncle, don't you? Why would you want to help them?" Her voice dropped a few decibels. "I like Miss Long!" she whispered, her voice edging with defeat. "And now we're passing her notes, threatening her life? And her fiancé, and her two daughters? How is that right, Zander? They're orphans, Zander, _orphans_! We are helping two evil men kill innocent, helpless little girls!"

A chair clattered to the floor. Had Alexander stood up quickly? The boy's voice was now determined, his anger coolly reigned in, as he said, "Aurelie. Listen to me. Even if I _wanted_ to stop, how would we? Do you know how powerful my uncle is?"

A low silence filled the air. Auggie heard a quiet sniff. "Alexander!" she hissed. "Alexander!" Was the Alexander walking away?

Her voice dropped in defeat. "We could at least try," she whispered defeatedly.

The talking had stopped, and Auggie figured Alexander had left. Grabbing his cane and the box of tissues sitting on the filing cabinet, he shuffled his way to where he hoped Aurelie still was. "Excuse me?" he asked gently. He offered the box of tissues. "Are you okay?"

She accepted a tissue. Blowing her nose, she glanced at him, taking in his cane and the way his eyes didn't quite focus on her. "You're the new librarian?"

He nodded. "Yep. Mr. Anderson."

She tried to smile, but she wasn't sure why. He obviously couldn't see her. "Aurelie Perrot." She paused, studying him. "You're blind?"

He shrugged. "Yep." He slid into the seat across from her. "Are you sure you're okay?"

She rubbed her eyes, drying her tears. "Alexander's a jerk." She sniffed again. "Then again, I knew that all along."

"Boyfriend?" Auggie asked curiously.

She snorted and rolled her eyes. "No way. Just an… acquaintance. Kinda like a family friend, I guess you could say." She clammed up, wondering if he had heard the whole conversation. _Would he get them in trouble?_ Despite how much she desperately wanted the deception and deals to stop, the fact that she had been found out would make its way back to Baptiste Perrot. She didn't even want to know what her father would do if she blew his next "work opportunity."

Auggie sat, waiting for her to explain further, not having quite noticed her silent nervousness. When she realized he was waiting for her to continue, she shook her head. "Sorry, Mr. Anderson. I shouldn't have dumped all that on you. My problem, not yours."

He offered her a bright grin. "No problem."

She studied him curiously, intrigued by the happy blind librarian, when she knew she should probably leave. "Is Mrs. Anderson your wife?"

He smiled, thinking of Annie. Even though they were undercover and only best friends, it was easy to pretend to be madly in love with her. He remembered back to two days ago, as Annie had twirled in the middle of the apartment, full of happiness. He could still imagine her smile, the way her dress flowed around her, how truly beautiful she must be. He suddenly felt a desire to be with her, to see how her day was going. "Yeah," he said softly. "She is."

Aurelie smiled, standing to her feet. Smiling at the new librarian, she said, "Well, she's very pretty. And nice." A moment later, she added, as if on second thought, "She's my new French teacher, by the way."

He smiled, understanding. "Thank you. I'll tell her."

Aurelie nodded. "See you around, Mr. Anderson."

Auggie stood to his feet. "Bye, Aurelie."

He waited until he heard her retreating footsteps, and then he picked up the tissue box and felt his way back to his office, considering the new bit of information.

* * *

Annie knocked on the door to Vivian and Jai's apartment later that afternoon. She heard laughter and growling inside, and she wondered what was going on. As Vivian opened the door, she was laughing. Tugging Annie into the room, she said, "Annie, you have _got_ to see Auggie. Hannah adores him!"

Annie's eyes fell to Auggie, kneeling on all fours, as Hannah clung to his neck. He was leaning from side to side, growling playfully, as the little girl squealed with delight. "Yay!" she squealed, hugging his neck tighter. "Giddyup, horsey!" Annie wondered if Vivian had bothered to inform either Hannah or Auggie that horses don't growl, but the sight of Auggie so obviously attached to Hannah made her heart nearly stop.

"Hey, Aug," she said, grinning at him.

He slowly lowered Hannah to the ground, making sure she was safe as she rolled off his back. She sat in his lap with a proud smile up at Annie and Vivian, and Auggie wanted to groan.

His matcho, he-man, I-hate-little-kids persona had been completely destroyed. He wasn't sure he minded. He actually liked kids a lot more than he let on. But still… He had a feeling that, whenever this was over, Annie would be begging for him to help baby sit Chloe and Katia more often than he'd like.

"Hi, Annie," Auggie said.

Hannah spun around, without warning, and launched herself into Auggie's arms, hugging him childishly, and Vivian smiled at the pair. "Hannah's been following him around since we got home. He kept Hannah from waking up Annabelle. I don't know how he managed to do that."

Annie watched as Auggie began to play with Hannah again. "He's pretty spectacular, huh?"

Viv smiled. "Are you sure the two of you are just friends in real life?"

Annie nodded, hoping Vivian couldn't see through her façade. "Yep. Just friends." She glanced at Vivian. "Thanks for letting him stay here while I got everything figured out at the school." Annie was fairly certain that Auggie would have been restless, waiting hours for her while she sorted out her classroom and found additional teaching supplies she would need, while Auggie had nothing to do.

"No problem," Vivian said. "It was nice having him here. He's as good with Hannah as Jai is."

Annie turned to Auggie. "You ready? I finally finished everything at the school."

He stood to his feet, carrying Hannah with him. As he handed Hannah over to Vivian, he said, "Yeah, but I think I left my cane on the table…"

He started shuffling in the direction of the kitchen, but Vivian touched his arm, stopping him. "Stay," she said gently. "I'll get it."

After a few moments, she returned, handing him his cane. "Thanks for watching Hannah for me."

Auggie smiled brightly. "My pleasure. She's adorable."

Annie brushed her palm against his, and he trailed his hand up her arm. "Ready to go?" she asked, and he nodded.

The drive back to their building was short, and as they ascended the stairway to apartment, Annie smiled and reached for his hand. "Ready for supper?"

"Sure… but is it ready?"

She rolled her eyes as she pulled him to his feet. "No. But I figured that we could go over what we learned today." She slipped her arm through his, hugging him close, as she added proudly, "I talked to Aurelie Perrot today."

He grinned over at her. "I know. She told me to tell you that you're pretty and nice."

Annie looked over at him, blushing a little. "You talked to her, too?" she said, trying to ignore the compliment.

"Yeah. Apparently Alexander and Aurelie got into a tiff in the library."

As she deposited him at one of the barstools at the island, she pulled out the peanut butter, grape jelly, and bread. She quickly made the sandwiches, and Auggie sniffed the air curiously. "Do I smell… peanut butter and jelly?"

She grinned. "You didn't think you'd be getting a gourmet meal _every_ night, did you?"

"No… but I didn't exactly expect PB&J, either."

She laughed. "I'm not exactly the perfect housewife, Aug. Tomorrow we can try something a little more classy, but today feels like a peanut-butter-and-jelly and pajamas night."

"Teaching took it out of you, huh?"

She rolled her eyes, shoving his shoulder gently. "Oh, puh-lease. You don't have to be exhausted for a PB&J and PJ night."

He grinned across the table at her, enjoying her philosophies. He remembered back to the end of his conversation with Aurelie earlier that afternoon. He was right—it was easy to pretend to be madly in love with Annie Walker.

* * *

**A/N:** Review, please!


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N:** Soooo… I was going to post this last night, but I figured I'd wait, in honor of today's episode that I am oh-so-stoked for! :)

Also, if the parts about Bill, Baptiste, and Niko don't really make sense… don't worry. I'm in the midst of editing those first few chapters to correspond with the new direction _Dreamer_ is headed in. In about a week or so, you might want to go re-read the parts with Perrot in it, just so you understand what's going on. :)

Soooo. This one's short. But I think the content makes up for it, and after this, we're caught up with all the editing! So all I have left is to write the rest. :)

**Disclaimer:** Covert Affairs isn't mine. :)

* * *

Chapter 7

Bill tore off another bite of his sub while his eyes remained pealed on the two walking across the parking lot. She looked so happy, so carefree, so _smug_. The man at her side walked rigidly next to her, but Bill could hear what they were saying. They were talking about AP English projects and weekend plans and last week's snowstorm, of all things. Everything but what the man was _supposed_ to be talking to the girl about.

He cursed loudly and hit the dashboard with his fist.

It was time to have a talk with his man.

* * *

Annie ambled into the library at 4:46, coming to a stop at one of the shelves of books. She propped her shoulder against the shelf and watched him. Auggie was working with a student, explaining something about a Shakespearean play. Auggie was being so patient. The boy was staring at Auggie in awe, like he was a god for understanding Shakespeare in the first place, not to mention being able to help _him _understand Shakespeare, all while being blind! When the young boy packed up his backpack and left, Annie sauntered over to him. "Hey, soldier boy," she teased.

He turned in her direction. "Annie," he said brightly.

She smiled at his enthusiasm. She reached out and squeezed his arm affectionately. "Hey, baby." She studied him. He looked so serene, so happy, so content to be a librarian. As if… this was actually his life, and he loved it completely. "Are you ready to go?"

Before Auggie could reply, a gentle chanting began around the room, beginning with two figures standing at the steps leading into the library, and catching on around the room. "Kiss her! Kiss her! Kiss her!"

Auggie's eyes flew to her in surprise, and Annie watched the room. Her eyes settled on Vivian and Tess, the two figures standing on the steps. Vivian was smirking, and Annie's eyes pled for answers. _Why was she doing this?_

"You guys are, like, the cutest couple ever! MCA needs to see it," she called with a grin.

Annie tore her gaze from Vivian back to her best friend. "Auggie, we don't have to… It wouldn't be profe—"

He reached out and caressed her cheek gently. "Shhh. Trust me," he whispered.

He looked so sincere, so committed to her, like he would never let anything happen to her, never hurt her. His lips touched her in a gentle kiss then, and his hand slid into her soft blond tresses. She resisted at first, the pain in her heart almost too much to bear, but her resistance slipped away at the gentle way he was treating her. She melted against his touch, wrapping her arms around his neck, tugging him closer. After everything her heart had been through in the last week, under false pretenses though it was, she couldn't imagine anything better than being in Auggie's arms. And ohhh, he was such a good kisser.

The brief kiss in the park by their apartment was nothing compared to this.

After a moment longer, he pulled away, leaning his forehead against hers, and he caught her hands up in his own, caressing their backs gently. "See?" he whispered a bit breathlessly. "I promised I'd take care of you."

He leaned in for another brief kiss, capturing her lips for only a moment, and when he pulled away, she was left longing for more. _How was it possible that real Auggie was a million times better than dream Auggie?_

Tucking her against his side, she hid her face in his shoulder subconsciously and he turned in the general direction of where Vivian's voice had come. "Annie's kinda gun-shy when it comes to kissing in public," he explained with a teasing smile. "She's French, you know."

The room erupted into good natured laughter, and the small audience disbanded. Auggie turned his attention to Annie. He offered her a gentle smile and gripped her upper arm, caressing it gently with his thumb. "You okay? I—I know you haven't done this type of undercover work before…"

She smiled brightly, trying to push away the fact that her heart was still in her throat. "Y-yeah," she said. "Fine. Are you ready to go? It's almost five o'clock."

Auggie nodded, packing up his laptop, and Annie waited while he finished closing down the library. As Auggie flipped off the lights and locked the doors behind them, Annie slipped into Auggie's arms, sliding her arm around his waist, and his arm wrapped around her protectively. "So how was day four of being a French teacher, Madame Anderson?"

She laughed against his side. "It was good. Aside from Viv demanding I kiss my best friend, it was good."

Auggie laughed. "That bad, huh?"

She rolled her eyes and punched his chest playfully. "Auggie… you know what I meant."

He laughed and pressed a gentle kiss against her temple. "Well, now it's sealed, huh? August and Anna-yeast Anderson are hopelessly in love."

Annie giggled. "Ah-Nah-EES, Aug. Anaïs. Maybe you should just stick to Annie."

He grinned in her direction. "You're the one who insisted that I learn your real name by the end of, well…" He heard someone pass, and he finished with "You know."

Annie rolled her eyes. "Maybe you shouldn't, if you're just gonna butcher it."

Auggie was about to respond, but he heard quiet sniffles coming from the area of the foyer just to their left. "Annie—is someone crying?" he whispered.

Annie, sensing the focus in his voice, glanced around, her gaze settling on Aurelie Perrot, trying to hide from view.

Annie rushed to her side, tugging Auggie with her. "Aurelie?" she said softly. "Aurelie? Sweetie? What's the matter?"

Aurelie turned to look up at Annie and Auggie. Tears stained her cheeks, and she wiped her hand across her cheeks self-consciously. "I—uh, um…" Her face crumpled as the tears came again. She held up her phone, showing them the text message she'd received from her father.

_Je travaille en retard. Pouvez-vous trouver un tour?_

Annie's face fell apologetically, and Auggie reached out to Annie, snagging her hand. "Babe—" he said, pleading an explanation.

She glanced over at Auggie. "Aurelie's dad was supposed to pick her up, and he canceled." She turned to the girl. "Does your dad do this a lot?"

Aurelie dried her eyes. "Um… sometimes. Yeah." She paused, packing her backpack. "He—he is always busy with work. I usually ride the bus. But he promised to pick me up today, to take me to the bookstore to pick up a few books for Honors English."

By the pained look in Aurelie's eyes, Annie knew it was as important to her as hunting for a prom dress for other teenage girls. "Do you still need a ride home, sweetie?"

Aurelie nodded, feeling around in her backpack. Fresh tears appeared in her eyes, and she sank back against the chair.

"What now?" Annie asked gently, reaching out and gripping her knee gently.

Aurelie buried her face in her hands. "I left my keys at home. On the kitchen table."

Annie reached out to Aurelie, pulling her into a hug. "Hey, hey," she soothed quietly, rubbing the girl's back. "C'mon." She glanced over at Auggie. "You can come over to our apartment until your dad's done with his work. He can pick you up. We'll even give him directions."

Aurelie glanced between the two of them. "I—I don't know… my dad's kinda…" She drifted off, not wanting to fill in the blank. It wasn't fair that two of the best teachers of the school would have to see Baptiste Perrot on a bad night. "He's really picky…" she finished lamely.

Annie squeezed her shoulder gently. "Where are you going to go, Aurelie? The school is going to close down for the night—most of the faculty is already gone. I can't leave you on your front step, waiting for your dad to come. Do you know when he'll be home?"

Aurelie shook her head. "N-no."

Annie nodded to her reassuringly. "Call him. Tell him where you'll be. He can pick you up whenever he's done."

She nodded, walking a few steps away as she dialed her father's number. A few moments later, she nodded her assent, and they made their way to Annie's car.

* * *

Annie glanced over at Auggie and Aurelie, sprawled out on the living room floor, Auggie's chess set placed between them. The set had been purposely designed for the blind, with the darker squares raised up and flat-topped white chess pieces and pointed black chess pieces.

They had been passionately involved in the game for nearly an hour now, and, for a beginner, Annie had to admit that Aurelie was really good at the game. That, and Auggie was a great teacher. She had watched him help her through her physics, history, and algebra homework with ease, and she realized, for the first time, why Auggie had been assigned as a librarian for his cover. She had never known someone so smart, so good with teenagers, and so good at finding information when it counted. After Aurelie had finished her homework, Auggie had challenged her to a game of chess. With a gleam in her eye that had surprised them both, she had agreed, promising to win.

Annie had smiled at the transformation in the girl—she had gone from demure, withdrawn, and self-conscious to happy, smart, and confident. She had no doubt it had everything to do with Auggie. From what Annie had read about Baptiste Perrot, she had no doubt it was hard being his daughter, and she was glad that they could alleviate some of that stress.

Turning off the burner, she grabbed Aurelie's and Auggie's plates, bringing them over. Aurelie murmured her thanks when she received the plate, a grilled cheese sandwich and a bowl of pea soup resting on top. Annie set Auggie's plate next to the chess set on the floor. "You're plate's at your two o'clock," she whispered in his ear, curling up next to him.

Auggie wrapped his arm around her protectively, claiming her lips in a quick kiss, and Annie couldn't help smiling. Kissing Auggie was her new favorite thing. If only it could be for real.

Pushing the thought from her mind, she studied the chess set. "Who's winning?"

"I am," they both proclaimed at once, and Annie laughed.

Leaning up, she kissed Auggie's cheek sweetly. "I'm going to grab my plate," she said softly, stepping out of Auggie's embrace. A few moments later, she returned, and Auggie tugged her close again, as if he _wanted_ her to be in his arms.

Happily, she watched the game continue as she munched on her sandwich. After the game ended at around 8:30, they agreed to let Aurelie watch _Amelie_. By eleven o'clock, the movie had finished, and Annie and Auggie were almost ready for bed. Hesitantly, Annie turned to their guest. "Aurelie? Do you think—"

Before she could finish her question, there was a knock on their door. "I'll get it," Annie offered. She glanced in the peephole before pulling the door open. Baptiste Perrot. "Hello?" she asked, pulling the door open a few inches. "Can I help you?"

He was wringing the cap in his hands, and he looked humble—nothing at all what Annie had expected. "Yes… I am—I am looking for my daughter? Aurelie Perrot?"

Annie smiled, swinging the door wide open. "She's here. We were just about to find some her some pajamas! We didn't know if you were going to make it tonight."

Annie noticed and catalogued the fact that Aurelie withdrew into herself a little at the sight of her father. _Did the man treat her right?_ "I, ah—my business plans went longer than were originally expected," he explained, his French accent heavy. "I apologize…"

Annie smiled accommodatingly. "It's fine. She's a wonderful girl. You must be proud."

"I am," he said, his gaze darting to his daughter. "Aurelie? Are you ready to go?"

She nodded, glancing around to make sure she had everything in her backpack. She glanced from Auggie to Annie. "Thank you so much, Mr. and Mrs. Anderson! You were so kind to open your home to me."

Though Annie could tell Aurelie's thanks was genuine, she could also tell that Aurelie was hiding something—almost as if the manners were a show for her father. She smiled reassuringly, despite her concerns for the girl. "No problem, Aurelie. It was a pleasure having you."

With a wave, the Perrots were gone.

Annie's eyes locked with Auggie's for a moment. "_That_ was weird," she muttered, walking to the sink and filling it with soapy water to begin washing their dishes.

* * *

**A/N:** Review, please!


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N:** Old readers of Dreamer, _rejoice!_ (New readers, too.) New content! :))))) I'm pretty stoked. I hope you are, too. :)

And… and, there's another reason to rejoice, too. :) I finished my internship today! (You know what that means, right? More Dreamer!)

Let me know what you think!

**Disclaimer:** Covert Affairs no es mio!

* * *

Chapter 8

Baptiste Perrot was standing in the middle of the literature section of Barnes & Noble, like any semi-good father would around Christmastime, as he held Aurélie's meager Christmas list in his hand. She never asked for much, but he always felt she deserved what she wanted. Aurélie was a good kid, and it wasn't fair for her to have to live without her mother. It also wasn't fair that she had to live with all the danger and intrigue that came with being Baptiste Perrot's daughter, either.

Sometimes, he wished Aurélie was easier to shop for. She always gave him detailed lists of what she wanted, but, on a regular basis, those few items were incredibly difficult to find.

He thought he spotted the title of the third book on her list when a vice grip yanked hard on his left arm. Baptiste was a strong man and skilled in several types of martial arts, but he couldn't break free from the man's grasp. When he turned to see who it was, he stopped cold.

Bill.

The internationally known terrorist, mainly known for his work in Europe and Northern Africa. Baptiste remembered the last time he'd dealt with him—it hadn't been pleasant.

Bill was still yanking, and Baptiste stumbled after him. They traipsed through the bookstore, finally stopping when Bill was satisfied that the corner he'd found was sequestered enough.

"I thought I told you to handle it!"

Baptiste sent him a steely look. "I am handling it. You have to give me more time."

"There's not that much more time! I've seen reports that it's in its final stages."

"I still have time. There's still months until it'll be ready," Baptiste said.

Bill shoved Baptiste into a display of books. Baptiste endured the abuse because he didn't want to find out what Bill was like when he was challenged. "Just get the information. Soon. You're not my only resource, you know."

Baptiste watched as Bill sauntered away into the mall's crowd, and Baptiste wondered just how hard it would be to get out of this mess that he'd created for himself.

* * *

"Hi, Mr. Anderson," Aurélie called cheerfully as she skipped into the library. It was relatively empty, and Auggie had been taking the time to try and learn a little bit more about library science. He hated not being fully prepared for a role he had to play, and he still didn't truly understand the way library science worked.

He was only _trying_ to learn and not just learning because, at the moment, his mind was focused on anything _but_ library science. This morning, Annie had woken up with a splitting headache. She had all but dissolved into tears that morning after breakfast, and during lunch, she'd barely touched any of the leftover spaghetti and meatballs she'd brought. Auggie could still remember the way she hid at his side, clinging to him almost, as if her life depended on it. It worried him. His mother used to get headaches, too, and they had incapacitated her just as much as this one seemed to be doing to Annie. Annie had taken something at lunch, but it didn't seem to be helping her.

He'd done the best he could to help Annie through the pain, to make things easier for her, but she was in the middle of one of her French 2 sections, and he wouldn't be of any help to her there. Besides, he had a library to run.

Aurélie was a welcome distraction from beating himself up over worrying too much. "Hi, Ari." She sounded really happy, too, which reassured him some. He still remembered her transformation from two days ago, when she'd become so formal and somber. _What did Perrot do to her?_

She slipped into the chair across from him at the table he was sitting at. "Mr. Anderson, can you help me?"

He pushed his laptop aside and leaned forward on the table with his forearms. "Help you with what?" he asked, his eyes twinkling. Ari was already his favorite student on campus—he knew it was probably unteacherly and unlibrarianly and all around a bad idea for a faculty member of a school to have favorites, but he couldn't help it. She was smart and sweet and kind and demure and generally, happy and fun, too. He didn't understand how she wasn't the most popular girl in school.

Aurélie sighed overdramatically. "History."

He laughed. "What's so bad about history?"

She opened her book while she explained. "I don't know. I love reading historical fiction, but I just can't remember all the dates and names and stuff, and that's what I need for the test." He couldn't tell, but he imagined she was scowling at the moment. It made him grin.

"What are you studying?"

"The Civil War."

Auggie wagged his eyebrows knowingly. "I see."

Aurélie giggled. "Mr. Anderson, you're weird."

Auggie felt the inkling to laugh in return, but he let her comment go. He reached for his laptop again, ready to search whatever she brought up. He obviously couldn't read her book, so he liked to be able to search for something on his laptop. At least he was doing something to help. "What specifically do you need to know?"

She shrugged. "Uh, I'm not sure. Hold on." She dug in her backpack for the study guide, and rattled off the first question to him.

They worked together for the next hour companionably, Ari reading sections from her textbook, Auggie offering ideas when he came across them. When there was a lull in their studying for a small break, Ari took a sip from her water bottle and glanced over at Auggie. "Mr. Anderson? Can I ask you a question?"

"Shoot."

Aurélie smiled at the nonchalant, easy way he had with people. "What made you first notice Mrs. Anderson?"

Auggie choked on his coffee. "Sorry, what?"

She laughed. "What was the first thing you noticed about Mrs. Anderson? You know, like when you first met her? My dad says…" Her eyes glimmered at this. "My dad says that my mom had eyes that looked like shimmering sapphires, and on their first date, he couldn't stop looking at them. What did you first notice about Mrs. Anderson?"

Auggie tried not to visibly blanch. He and Annie had never discussed that part of their cover, and it wasn't a part of the files they'd received. All he had to go off of was the fact that he and Annie were supposed to have met in the sixth grade, and been sweethearts ever since. Annie was much better at coming up with those types of stories than he was. "It was her voice," he said, making it up as he went.

"Her voice?"

Auggie remembered the first time he'd actually met Annie and realized how true it was. After all this time knowing her, it was still her voice he remembered. Soft, melodic, expressive. "Yeah," he said, smiling a little. "For a blind person, you can't stare deeply into someone's eyes or see what their figure looks like. Yeah, later on, you can get an idea of what they look like, from other people's descriptions and when you touch their arm or whatever, but feeling their whole body to figure it out when you first meet them is kinda frowned upon."

Auggie threw her a teasing wink, and she giggled.

"But her voice—it was light, and sweet, and feminine, and you can still hear a bit of her French accent, right? We met in sixth grade, and she tried to teach me French. It sounded so beautiful coming out of her lips. When we were seniors in high school, and I finally had the guts to ask her out, I just listened to her talk during the whole date. I think I was mesmerized," he admitted.

"Awww," Aurélie cooed, grinning at him. "You're such a softy, Mr. Anderson."

Auggie blushed and took another sip of his coffee. "Okay. C'mon. Back to work."

Aurélie groaned for good measure, but she was grinning. Mr. and Mrs. Anderson were the cutest couple she'd ever seen.

* * *

Jai was nearly chomping at the bit.

Joan could tell that he was miserable, waiting to see what would happen, waiting for something he could do to protect his family. Joan knew what it felt like, and really, she did feel bad for him, but there was nothing she (or he) _could_ do. Annie and Auggie, from all indications, were doing well in their first two weeks undercover, and even Joan was impressed at how easily Aurélie Perrot had taken a shining to the couple. But everyone, most of all Jai, knew that there wouldn't be results from a deep cover mission in two weeks.

Even Annie and Auggie weren't that good.

But Jai was just sitting there, bouncing nervously in his seat, trying to concentrate enough to finish the report for the drop pass he'd done in Italy last Thursday.

Joan glanced from Jai to the disc sitting on top of all her paperwork on her desk back to Jai again. It was a job for an analyst—not even a very exciting job at that—but seeing Jai's current mood, she figured he would appreciate the task.

She strolled to her door, and pulled it open enough to stick her head through. "Jai!"

He glanced up at her like a deer caught in the headlights. "Yeah?"

"C'mere!"

He slowly pushed his chair away from his desk, and he ambled over to her. He dragged his feet, and his eyes looked like they were about to droop shut for good. She pulled him into her office and closed the door behind them. Handing him the disc, she said, "Here. Take a look at this. Let me know if anything pops out at you."

He studied it with interest. "What is it?"

"Surveillance Auggie sent. I think it's of the Perrot house. Give it a look at let me know if you see anything."

Jai nodded. He was somber, but his mood seemed to have brightened considerably.

He turned to go, but Joan stopped him. "Jai?"

"Yeah?"

"You know I'm not trying to keep you away from this mission, right?"

He sighed. "Yeah. I know."

"Whenever I can, I'll use you."

He nodded. "Thanks."

Joan watched as he walked back to his desk and sat down. Though the worry about his family strained him, somehow Joan knew Jai would be okay.

* * *

Auggie shuffled into the smaller room, feeling along the walls. Where was he? He had a general idea, but he couldn't be sure. MCA's campus was large, and he hadn't had time enough to discover the whole building. He'd made his way to Annie's classroom after the majority of the children had left for the day, but she wasn't there. He'd gotten shuffled around, from person to person, asking if they'd seen Annie, but they either hadn't or couldn't tell him the right place to look.

The last person—a science teacher, Auggie thought—had directed him to this small room. "Annie?" he called.

As he felt his way farther into the room, he heard a few sniffles coming from the area of the floor several feet in front of him. "Annie?"

That time, a sob met his query, and he rushed to her side, hoping there was nothing in the way. He found her, crumpled on the floor, curled up into herself. His hands found her shoulders, and he pulled her into a hug, tucking her head against his chest. "Annie, are you okay?"

Her hands clung to the fabric of his stripped dress shirt, and he stroked her hair softly, tucking it behind her ear and out of her face. Somehow, it seemed to soothe her, so he rubbed her back absentmindedly, listening with relief as her sniffles subsided and she relaxed in his arms.

He had always appreciated Annie for who she was, how she could rescue him from his demons, how she made him laugh daily. She was his best friend. He hadn't really appreciated that until this mission started, though. Annie was good in the field—better than he had ever given her credit for—and she brought Anaïs Anderson to life effortlessly. From all reports, she was an excellent French teacher, and she had immediately connected with her students. What got him the most, though, was the fact that Annie made this mission as much his mission as it was hers. Despite it all, they'd still shared those conversations he'd grown to love so much—hearing stories about Chloe and Katia, teasing her about whatever was happening in her life, listening to her little pep talks.

Seeing Annie here, in pain, made him realize this all the more. He treasured her friendship and trust more than anything else in the world. He didn't need to love her like a man loved a woman, like he had once loved Tash. She was his best friend, and it was okay for his heart to break a little bit over her misery. He'd never seen Annie in so much pain—she always seemed to suck up whatever was going on, always putting her best foot forward—and he found himself just wanting to make it better.

As her tears subsided for good, he lifted her away from him, a little, tucking some errant strands of hair behind her ear. "Annie, are you okay?"

She stared into his worried chocolate eyes, and she felt the overwhelming urge to lean a few inches closer and kiss him. He had been so sweet, holding her like that through her pain. She knew she should feel awkward about that, embarrassed, but all she could think about was how _perfect_ they were together, and how much they were meant to be a couple. It took all her restraint, not to kiss him there. She didn't need the mess that would come with kissing him like that, when no one was watching. She didn't have the strength or the courage to deal with his million questions and the fall-out that was sure to come when he didn't reciprocate her feelings, not to mention the fact that surely the mission would be blown to pieces. Annie didn't know if she could take it, knowing that her emotions had gotten in the way of rescuing the (potentially hundreds of) people who would suffer from Perrot's decisions, not to mention poor, sweet, innocent, lonely Aurélie.

She nodded and pushed herself to her feet. "Yeah, Aug. I'm okay." She reached down and helped him to his feet, too, and, as they walked back to her classroom to retrieve her stuff, she guided him through the building as he held his arm.

Friends.

She could do this. She really didn't have a choice. If she could get them across town to their apartment and if she could make it to her bed, then just maybe, things would be all right, for today. She'd deal with tomorrow later.

* * *

**A/N:** Review, please? I have loved the idea of this last scene, but it turned out differently than I had planned. I think it addresses some issues that need to be focused on in the next few chapters, though, so I'm leaving it, in hopes that it will grow on me. :) With this being such an angsty story, it's not like it can be all pure fluff. :(

I already had this mostly written when I posted the last episode, so that's why this update is so early. The next update probably won't be so soon. Just FYI. Sorry. :(


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N:** Sooo… this first scene is inspired my uncle, who does some of the strangest things in his sleep. My cousin visited from France a couple weeks ago, and, well… we just started talking about his sleepwalking stories. I was in the middle of revising Dreamer, then, and I knew I had to use this somewhere. :)

Oh, and if you even like the story a little bit and are glad I'm continuing, I think you should thank my sister. Who is amazing. Alotalot. If she hadn't helped me brainstorm a few weeks ago, I'm pretty sure you would have gotten an author's note, explaining the story was over, instead of a continuation of the story. So. You know. *hint-hint* :)

And before you start to freak out about what's going through Annie's mind. Relax. BREATHE. I have it all under control, and I think you all will be very excited about the turn the story will be taking in these next three chapters! :)

'Kay. That's all for now. :)

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Covert Affairs.

* * *

Chapter 9

Annie woke to the feeling of being cocooned in the arms of a strong, protective man and the mild winter sun's rays hitting her face. She smiled sleepily and snuggled deeper into his arms. He was both strong and tender at the same time, and the lingering scent of yesterday's cologne lingered around them. His arm clenched around her midsection, and he nuzzled his face into her neck. His day-old stubble tickled her neck and cheek. She thrilled at the sensation. It'd been a long time since she'd woken in the arms of a man.

Wait—in the arms of a man? What man?

Annie's eyes fluttered open, and her surroundings slowly began to register. The apartment, in Manassas. But who—

She shifted just enough to look into his eyes, and her heart nearly stopped. Auggie. How had he gotten here, in bed with her? And why was he holding her like he'd dreamed of this more than she had?

If either one of them had been awake at two o'clock that morning, they would have known that Annie had been having another dream about Auggie, this one revolving around an explosive fight about nothing in particular (Annie wasn't sure why she dreamed about the good, the bad, and the ugly when it came to Auggie, but she supposed that fighting with Auggie, while they were engaged, was a million times better than not being able to tell him how she felt while they were best friends), and a few times, she had whimpered, tears in her voice, "Auggie, please…" Auggie, the light sleeper that he was, must have heard, even though he never woke. He climbed from his mattress up into her bed, wrapped her in his arms, and stroked her soft blond hair gently, whispering, "Shhh. Shhh, Annie, it's okay." He kissed her shoulder softly before nuzzling his face into the hollow between her shoulder and her neck. Miraculously, she relaxed against him, humming happily to herself, and she pulled him closer. The rest of the night, her dreams of Auggie were sweet and full of walks in the park, wedding plans, and kisses under mistletoe.

When she had realized what position they were in, she fleetingly considered the idea that she'd begged him to come to bed with her, or tried to seduce him while totally zonked, but she rejected both ideas quickly. She hadn't had any alcohol, and she'd gone to bed fairly early (in _her_ bed)—after Auggie had fallen asleep on his mattress.

Annie reached up and caressed his cheek with her hand. His eyes were closed now, but she'd give just about anything to see those gorgeous chocolate-brown eyes of his this close. He sighed softly and tugged her closer.

Tears blurred Annie's vision. She _loved_ Auggie. It was crazy, but she couldn't help herself. All she wanted to do was kiss him awake and spend the day with the man she loved, but that just wasn't a possibility, not when she was pretty sure Auggie didn't feel the same way.

In the little over two weeks that they'd been here, he'd kept enough distance between them to prove that he would be her best friend forever, but they were nothing more than friends. He was utterly doting and affectionate in public, when they were August and Anaïs Anderson, but when they came back to the apartment, they were just Annie and Auggie. His affection in the field made it all the harder to just be his friend when they were home, but that's all he was—her friend. Her _best_ friend, the one who made her laugh, the one who was wiser than anyone else she knew, the one she could trust with anything—except her heart.

Regretfully, Annie pulled away from him and slipped into her robe. Brushing away a tear, she made her way to the door and shut it behind her. She'd deal with the repercussions later.

Annie curled up onto the couch and turned on the early morning news. She tried to pay attention to the news anchor, but her thoughts kept interrupting. Much as she wanted to have a happily-ever-after with Auggie, it wasn't going to happen. She couldn't keep living with her heart on the edge of her sleeve. One day, he would find out, and then her heart would be crushed for good. Her eyelids fluttered shut against the pain and she let the weariness wash over her. It was time to move on. With the too-cheery sound of the news anchor's voice droning around her, she slowly drifted back to sleep.

* * *

"Daddy, Daddy! Look at me!"

Jai heard her before he saw her. The shrill of her excited voice, the pitter-patter of her little feet on the carpet, the swishy sound of whatever she was wearing. She made her grand entrance on tiptoe, a larger-than-life tutu hanging from her shoulders, as she spun around, hands held above her head. "Daddy, I'm a ballerina!"

He closed his laptop and set it aside. He had been watching more of the footage that Annie and Auggie had sent over, of the Perrot home. It hadn't proved especially helpful yet—Perrot was careful, and didn't bring anyone to his home except his daughter—but he still hoped to find something.

With Hannah dancing in front of him, batting her eyes and grinning wide, he couldn't help but set his worries and work aside. His family was _here_, and, for now, they were safe. The CIA was good at what they did. He would have to trust them to do what they said they would do. After all, Annie and Auggie were some of the best.

Vivian appeared around the corner, holding Annabelle in her arms, and she grinned knowingly to him. Laughing, Jai took a few steps toward his daughter and swooped her up in his arms. "Where'd you get this?" he asked, and she giggled.

"Mommy…"

Jai looked up at Vivian and laughed. Of course she had taken ballet when she was a little girl, and _of course_ she still kept her tutus. It was just something Vivian would do.

Jai carried Hannah across the room and kissed Vivian slowly, sweetly. "Ewww!" Hannah squealed, spoiling the moment, but Jai laughed anyway and said, "I love you."

Vivian had smiled shyly in reply and returned the sentiment.

Hannah squirmed in Jai's arms, and he bounced her on his hip. It was barely after six—they liked to eat supper early—and he needed to let the worry of the past couple weeks go.

He still remembered the gut-wrenching, breath-stealing horror and fear he'd felt when he had seen Perrot's note. The thought of having Vivian, Hannah, and Annabelle taken from him had both paralyzed and infuriated him. If it hadn't been for Vivian's gentle hand on his arm and that quiet worry and fear in her eyes, he probably would have hunted Baptiste Perrot down that very minute. He'd been on edge ever since.

Hannah giggled as he spun her around. When they came to a stop, Jai said, "How 'bout a tea party, Princess Hannah?"

She scowled at him playfully. "I'm not a princess, Daddy," she proclaimed drolly. "I'm a ballerina!"

Jai laughed. "Okay, Miss Ballerina, would you do me the honor of attending my tea party?"

Hannah gleamed and clapped her hands. "Yay, Daddy!" she squealed, throwing her little arms around his neck.

While Jai dug out Hannah's tea set and set it up on the coffee table and Vivian filled the pitcher with water from the sink, Hannah danced around the living room, chattering and giggling. The three of them knelt around the coffee table, and as Vivian served the "tea," Jai couldn't help but let the worry of the past few weeks go. They would get Baptiste Perrot and his cronies, in the end.

For now, his greatest concern was pulling smiles and laughter out of Vivian and Hannah. They were like healing salve for his soul.

* * *

Auggie cocked his head curiously and listened as Annie popped another chip into her mouth. It was just after three o'clock. Classes were concluded for the day. Basketball practice was in full force in the gymnasium, but the majority of the rest of the students had left for the day. Annie had no real need to be in her classroom, and after the day they'd had, he was hoping inviting her to the library to grade her French 2 quizzes would improve things between them.

He had hoped spending some time with her would have broken the ice that had built up between them overnight. She had barely acknowledged his presence all day—making her own breakfast and hiding in the living room, grading papers, ignoring him when he tried to get her attention. All her replies had been in clipped, one-word phrases, and she'd let him find his own way, both to their car and then to the library when they got to school. She'd taken lunch in her own room, so he'd missed her in the teacher's lounge at noon, and any attempt he'd made to talk to her at any opportune moment was shut down by excuses only Annie could come up with. Annie had _never_ treated him this way.

Though she'd grudgingly agreed to join him in the library to finish her grading for the day, she'd sat, a whole two seats between them, and munched on her barbecue chips and graded her quizzes in silence.

The silence and frustration was eating him alive. He knew it had to have been awkward when Annie woke up with him in her bed—he _still_ didn't know how that had happened—but had whatever he'd done been truly _that_ bad? What in the world had he done?

After weeks of Annie making him breakfast, holding his hand on the way to the car, teasing him at lunch, and living as though she truly _was_ Anaïs Anderson, he still couldn't believe the overnight change. Though she was still Annie, his sweet, happy, spunky, against-the-groove, you-can't-stop-me Annie, his best friend always, he'd gotten used to the way she'd started acting like she was Anaïs, too—like he completed her, like he was her strength and the only one who believed in her. He had grown to love being that Auggie.

Seeing Annie transform from that to this was like being doused with an ice-cold bucket of water, or an electric shock, and he couldn't help missing his Annie. What had he done?

"Annie?" he tried again, reaching out to where he knew she had been a few minutes, hoping to find her arm. If he could find her arm, maybe she would let him trail his hand down her arm, and find her hand. Then maybe, just maybe, she would let him hold her hand, and he could pretend it was all a part of their cover, and maybe he could convince her to forgive him for whatever grievous error he'd committed in his sleep.

But she dodged his arm—again—and studied a fill-in-the-blank exercise a lot more seriously than there was any need to. "Annie, please…"

She glanced up at his forlorn face, and that was her mistake. He hadn't even done anything, but he looked so contrite, like he cared more about her than anything else, and it killed her inside. How could she move on when those chocolate eyes kept pulling her in?

She immersed herself in the French quizzes again, but she managed to reply to his desperate plea. She had to acknowledge him at some point, after all. "What, Aug?"

Hope filled him at the hesitant reply. He and Annie had never had a rift so wide, and he was beginning to believe it could never be repaired. He scooted across the two chairs in between them, hoping she didn't move farther away. "Annie, what did I do?"

She shook her head, trying to push away feel of waking up in Auggie's arms, feeling his arms tighten around her. What she wouldn't give for that to happen again…

But no. She couldn't think like that. Not anymore. She and Auggie were just friends. That's all they would ever be. "Nothing," she said, patting his arm awkwardly. "It was just weird. Waking up next to you."

He reached up, cupping her cheek. "Annie, I don't ever want it to be weird between us. Okay?"

She nodded, letting him feel the movement through his hand. "Yeah." _Why did he have to be so utterly perfect?_

Aurélie chose that moment to skip into the library, a grin on her face. She skidded to a stop in front of Annie and Auggie, and Annie cleared her throat. "Hi, Ari."

Self-consciously, Auggie dropped his hand and turned in the direction of Aurélie's voice. "Hey, Ari," he echoed.

She grinned. "My favorite adorable couple!"

Auggie rolled his eyes, and Annie blushed, ducking her head. Much as she didn't want to be that woman anymore, the one who loved Auggie so completely, it was just a part of who Anaïs Anderson was, and she couldn't change that now.

Auggie tugged Annie against his side, and he said, "What can we do for you, Ari?"

Ari grinned down at them. "Will you be our faculty sponsor?"

"Me?" Auggie asked.

Aurélie rolled her eyes. "Both of you. I'm in charge of this physics project that NHS is conducting. It has to be done by the end of this year. If everything goes according to plan, we'll present our results to the president later in April."

"The president?" Auggie asked. "As in, of the United States?"

Aurélie beamed. "Mm-hmm. It was my idea, too. Have you ever heard of Bill? He's this terrorist in Europe. He's… well, he has these signature bombs, and we discovered some of the elements can be traced through a satellite. We're working on developing technology that will be able to locate these bombs before they do damage. I'm in charge of it, but there are all these physics students who are working on the technology, and someone else wrote the proposal, and some of the rest of us are in charge of the reception in late April, and Mrs. Marais said that the whole intelligence community in America is interested in the information that we might be able to develop, and we're getting really close, and—"

"Whoa, whoa, Ari, why do you need us, then?" Auggie asked. "It sounds like you have it all figured out."

Aurélie blushed prettily. "Well… Mrs. Marais was our sponsor. Without a sponsor, the school won't let us complete the project. Mr. Winters—the director of the National Honor Society—supports it completely, but he says he can't be our sponsor. I think he's afraid Bill's gonna come after _us_ or something."

"Well, he is a terrorist, Aurélie…" Auggie hinted. Though Annie didn't say anything, he knew she agreed. Though there hadn't been much activity on Bill in recent months, they both knew exactly who he was and what he was capable of. If he was working with Baptiste Perrot… and if Aurélie was caught in the crosshairs… Auggie didn't even want to think about that.

"I know. But nothing's happened yet, and we've gotten so far! Mrs. Marais thought it was okay, and this information will save _thousands_ of lives. Please? Will you be our sponsors?"

Annie glanced at Auggie, but she already knew the answer. "Yes," they both said at the same time. "We'll be there," Annie finished.

Aurélie squealed and jumped up and down. "Yay! Good. Our next meeting is Thursday afternoon, at three o'clock, in the physics lab." As she skipped out of the library, she called over her shoulder. "Don't be late!"

Laughing, Auggie called out to her, "We won't!" As he called out the words to her, it didn't go unnoticed the way Annie pulled away quickly, like she'd been burned, and she returned to her grading.

Some things would take time, he supposed. He still didn't understand Annie's reasoning for her behavior over the past day, but she wasn't ready to talk. It had been a miracle he had gotten this much out of her.

* * *

Baptiste looked both ways down the hallway as he felt the lock click in his hands, and he pushed the door open slowly. It was three in the morning—he wasn't _expecting_ anyone to be awake and at the school—but he was just taking precautions. If Aurélie ever found out what he was doing… She would kill him.

He knew, from the conversations he and Aurélie had had about her project for NHS, that they kept all their information locked up here, in this room. The physics lab.

Flashlight dangling from his teeth, he put away his lock-picking tools and made his way to the locked filing cabinet. Pulling the key Aurélie had hidden in her jewelry box out of his pocket, he unlocked the cabinet and began searching through files. A lot of it was grades, lesson plans, and ideas for physics experiments. When he got to the fourth drawer, however, he saw a tab labeled "Operation Stop Bill."

Baptiste reached for the whole file—several inches thick—when he heard the sound of boots clicking in the hallway. The security guard?

He had known that could be the one hitch in his plan, but the guard was supposed to be down near the language arts rooms, all the way across the building. He peaked through the blinds in the classroom door window, watching as the guard marched past.

_Just his luck._

Waiting a few seconds, he closed the filing cabinet door, and climbed out the open window. It was two stories up, but he was used to the height. He landed in a bush, covered in snow, and rolled to his feet. Muttering a curse, he ran for his car, nearly a mile away, hoping the school hadn't invested in more than one night guard.

* * *

Bill screamed and threw the 25-page document, rolled up like a scroll, against the wall. Pacing back and forth in his luxurious apartment, he let out a strangled curse.

This was what he got for letting an _arms dealer_ handle his dirty work. Baptiste Perrot wasn't a dirty work sort of man.

How was it possible that a group of _students_ could be so smart? If he hadn't been so angry, he would have been impressed.

At least Perrot had managed to get a copy of the group's proposal. That was the one thing Perrot had managed to get right in the past year.

It looked like he had some work to do. Starting with upping the ante. So far, Perrot seemed motivated enough by threat of violence, but it wasn't anywhere good enough. If he wasn't careful, by this time next year, he'd be facing a lifetime in prison, along with potentially three to seven other negative scenarios that were floating around in his head. Bill needed results.

And he needed them _now_.

* * *

**A/N:** Review, please!


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N:** First of all… you guys are gonna love meeee! :) hahaha. You'll see. Kay. That's all I'll say now. :))))))

**Disclaimer:** Covert Affairs no es mio.

* * *

Chapter 10

"I got it!" Auggie shot out of his chair, tipping it back in his haste. He ran back to the bedroom, his hand skimming the wall for reference. "Annie! _Annie!_"

Annie glanced up from the grading she was doing on the bed, startled. "What, Aug?"

"I found it!"

Annie couldn't help smiling a little at the exuberance in Auggie's eyes. In the past few days since she'd woken up in his arms, she'd done her best to keep her distance, hoping it would do her heart good. Much as she loved Auggie, pining after him, day after day, did nothing for her. She was tired of wallowing away into sappy, spineless nothingness. At least she still had Auggie as a best friend. For now, that would be enough.

Lately, he'd been pensive and mellow. She had no doubt it had everything to do with the cold shoulder she'd given him last week.

But now he was gleaming and breathless, and she only wanted to share in his joy. Letting a rare true smile light her features, she asked, "What did you find, Auggie?"

Reaching for the edge of the bed, he skirted around it until his knee connected with Annie's. Ghosting his hand across the top of the bed, he connected with her hand and tugged her off the bed. "C'mon. I have to show you!"

Annie wasn't sure she'd seen Auggie this excited about anything since she'd seen his face the day he'd gone into DataTech. Grinning, she stumbled after him back to the kitchen table, where a security video feed was paused on his laptop screen. Rewinding the video several frames, he slipped into his seat and tugged her down next to him. "Watch this."

She leaned in, next to him, to see the computer at a better angle. What she saw before her eyes shocked her. "Is that—is that Baptiste Perrot?"

"It sounds like him, doesn't it?" Auggie paused the video. "I matched a still photo from this video of him with the latest photo on file on several databases, too." He pushed play again, and Annie watched as he unlocked the filing cabinet and searched his way through the files. With mounting dread, she watched as Perrot made his way through the first three drawers, and then moved onto the final drawer, where all the research and information about the case were kept. Had he taken it?

She sighed with relief when he dropped the file back into the cabinet, peaking through the window of the door and then escaped through the open window. One thing she knew for sure—they would have to be a lot more careful with where they hid the research.

A new thought filled her mind, and she looked at Auggie with dread. Her heart sank. "What about Aurélie?"

Would Perrot do something to his own daughter? After nearly a month of undercover work, they still didn't have a handle on him very well.

"We'll have to keep an eye on her," Auggie said, squeezing her hand. He knew Annie cared about Ari just as much as he did. True, Aurélie was an asset, but she had become so much more. They couldn't, wouldn't, let anything happen to her.

Annie stared at the screen with a frown. What would Baptiste Perrot want with the sort of technology Aurélie was helping to create? It wasn't a weapon he could sell. Technology like this only mattered to two groups of people—the good guys and the guys the technology would be used against. Perrot was neither.

Still, Annie couldn't deny what was in front of her. Perrot was obviously after the technology his daughter was creating.

Annie fished her cell phone out of her back pocket. Hitting the fourth speed dial, she waited while the phone rang three times. Just when she wasn't sure anyone would pick up, Jai's frustrated voice barked out, "Hannah!" before he turned his attention to the telephone. "Wilcox residence."

"Jai?" The idea of her friend, the frustrated father, made her smile. "We got it."

Jai frowned. "Got what?"

"We know why. You know."

Jai didn't even let a moment's beat pass. "Come over for coffee. Now."

Annie smiled at the urgency in his voice. He had even more invested in this than she and Auggie did. "We're on our way."

* * *

When Annie and Auggie arrived at Jai's and Vivian's apartment, before they could knock, the door swung open wide and Jai pulled them inside.

Vivian was standing in the entryway to the kitchen, nursing a steaming cup of tea. "Hey, Annie, Auggie."

Annie grinned in greeting to her friend. "Hey, Viv."

"Would you like some tea? I just made some—it's still hot."

Annie and Auggie accepted her offer, and Jai guided them to the couch in the family room. Auggie began powering up his laptop while they waited for their tea, and Jai watched with anxious interest. After Vivian brought them their tea and retreated to her bedroom, Auggie turned the computer screen to face Jai, just to the left of Auggie, and he pushed play.

Annie studied Jai, on the other side of Auggie, as he took in the video footage. When Auggie stopped the video, Jai said, "What's in the cabinet?"

"All the backed up research and files form a computer program some of the National Honor Society kids are working on. They present it to the president next month. If all goes according to plan, the technology will be able to locate Bill's bombs in time to diffuse them."

That was huge. No one had been able to diffuse Bill's bombs because no one could get to them on time.

Jai studied them in disbelief and shock. "What's Perrot doing with that technology?"

Annie and Auggie shrugged. "We don't know yet. Aurélie is in charge of the project, but we don't know why Perrot is trying to steal it from her, or why he wants the information in the first place. We still have a lot of questions."

"Is he capable of doing something, to his daughter, I mean, if he can't get the information?"

Annie flashed him a bleak look. "I don't know. We just don't know that much about him, still. All we have to go off of is the look Ari gets in her eyes when she sees her dad, or she thinks about him. She completely changes. I think she's scared of him."

For the following few hours, Annie, Auggie, and Jai talked about possible scenarios and planned what would happen if they needed back-up for any reason. Jai relayed to them the messages Joan had given him, and by the time Annie and Auggie left, late that night, Annie couldn't help feeling that things might actually go their way by the end of this mission.

* * *

It had been over four months since Annie and Auggie had moved into their Manassas apartment. After their discovery just before Christmas break, activity had slowed immensely. Annie and Auggie made sure to keep on top of their surveillance and everything going on with the physics program, but after cautioning the kids to keep their discoveries secret—even from their families—activity nearly came to a standstill. Bill was getting extremely paranoid, and his occasional threats came on a regular basis, but Annie and Auggie didn't know about any of that.

Meanwhile, Annie and Auggie's relationship continued on unsteady footing. Auggie continued, unknowing, in oblivion, while Annie tried to bury her feelings for him. For the most part, she succeeded, but every so often, she would have a particularly breathtaking dream, out of the blue, or he would do something so incredibly sweet that she couldn't help but remember why she'd fallen for him in the first place, those four long months ago.

She had considered broaching the subject with him, but the fear that it would ruin the relationship, the chemistry, they already had kept her in silence. With so much at stake, she couldn't afford to botch up the mission, so she said nothing.

One day in mid-March, everything, once again, changed.

It was nearly five o'clock, and Auggie was on his way to find Annie to leave for the night when he heard angry shouting coming from farther down the hallway.

"What do you think you're doing? Do you really think you can just waltz in here, out of nowhere, everyone's new favorite little Frenchie, captivating all the students and wrapping everyone around your finger, and then con everybody out of plans that have been set in place for _months_? No, no you can't. If you thought so, you have something coming to you, let me tell you…"

Auggie's anger burned when he immediately recognized the man as the hot-headed chemistry teacher, Simon Henzel, who loved to pick fights with just about anyone. Who was he, to think he could get away with ripping Annie apart like that? He had another thing coming to him if he thought he could pick a fight with Annie and get away with it.

Auggie was about to step up behind her, pull her against his side, and sock Henzel in the jaw, as if he really did adore Annie the way everyone thought he did, when he heard that adorable little French accent pipe up from nowhere. "You have no right to say that about me! I never wanted to hurt anybody! I didn't know your class was going on the field trip the same time my class was going to. There was a mix-up in the office, and you can't blame me for that… And, and you know what, Mr. Henzel? You are a bully! You are rude and angry and cross, and I don't know how you could call yourself a Christian educator, for the way you treat both your students and your coworkers. You think you're so self-righteous and perfect, but you know why nobody ever sits with you at lunch? You know why you're no one's favorite teacher? You don't even know the meaning of kindness! …"

And right then, the strangest thing happened. Auggie stopped in his tracks, listening to what Annie was saying, and then he realized it. He loved Annie.

In that moment, she was as much Annie as she was Anaïs, full of sass, beauty, and demureness.

The thought broadsided him. How could he have missed it? He was completely, utterly, undeniably in love with her. The thought of her, standing up to Henzel, fists balled adorably, her doe-brown eyes blazing in righteous indignation, made his heart ache. How had he known her for nearly three years without seeing this?

The thought made him weak at the knees. Annie. Perfect, sweet, adorable, happy, make-my-heart-sing Annie. Being undercover with her had been a gift, and he had almost let it pass him by.

His thoughts fleetingly returned to earlier that day, when Annie had dropped by the library on a surprise visit. She'd waited while he finished talking to one of the students, and then she'd slipped into the seat the student had occupied. Leaning in quietly, she pressed a soft kiss to his cheek, near the corner of his mouth. "Hi," she said. "I brought you something." She placed it in his hands, and he instantly recognized it as a styrofoam coffee cup.

"Um, Annie, I hate to break it to you, but I still have my coffee from earlier this morning…" he said, gesturing to his coffee cup, sitting in his office. She just nudged the cup closer to his lips as she turned to face him, her knee bumping against his.

Opening the plastic flap, he took a sip. "Annie, where did you…" He stopped short. _Where_ had she gotten that? He'd been complaining—quite selfishly, he thought—the past couple months on how he was missing his winter fix of peppermint lattes. True, he could find them at coffee shops around the Manassas area, but none quite compared to Violet's peppermint lattes. Violet worked at the Starbucks in Langley, and she always managed to have a peppermint latte ready for him. Usually, he didn't indulge in those fancy-shmancy, girly sort of drinks—when he wanted coffee, he wanted it _strong_ and with as much kick as possible—but peppermint lattes were his one guilty pleasure, especially Violet's peppermint lattes.

Somehow, Annie had managed to find _Violet's_ peppermint latte. He took another long swig. "Annie, where—"

She just laughed. "That's not important. Just remember who had your back in Manassas if anything ever, well, you know."

How could he have missed this? Annie had always gone out of her way to do things like that for him—not for favors, just because that's who she was. But she was sweet, and perfect, and selfless, and her laughter lit up his world, and, now that he thought of it, she fit perfectly in his arms… and the thought of spending several more weeks here, with her, was like a dream come true. Oh, man.

He was a goner.

He was still a bit dazed by that realization when she finished her adorable little righteous tirade, and Henzel stood there, shocked, just staring back at Annie. Snapping out of his daze, Auggie ambled over to her side, tugging her into his arms. "Hey, are you okay?" he whispered, reaching up and stroking her hair gently, tucking it behind her ear.

She nodded demurely, snuggling deeper into his arms. He crooked a finger under her chin and tilting her face up towards his. He leaned in, kissing her slowly, sweetly.

Out of the probably hundreds of times he'd kissed Annie in the past four months, this was the one that took his breath away. The kiss wasn't even that long, or passionate—just a gentle kiss between two lovers, but her lips were soft and fit perfectly against his own. And she tasted like chocolate and oranges and sweet love. The first touch of their lips had been magical, addicting, and his eyes had fluttered shut at the contact.

Kissing Annie was officially his new favorite thing.

When she began to pull away, he had to remind himself (several times) that he did not have the liberty of kissing Annie senseless, especially not in front of Simon Henzel. He schooled his disappointed look into a tender smile, and he wrapped her in his arm, caressing her shoulder with his thumb as he leaned in a few inches. "Ready to leave?"

She nodded into his shoulder, wrapping her arm around his waist. "Yeah. Let's go." As they passed Simon, she called to him in that adorable half-French accent of hers, "Think about what I said, Simon!"

Auggie smirked. That was all Annie, perfectly, adorably, hilariously Annie.

It was when Auggie got settled in the passenger seat next to Annie that he realized it. He _couldn't_ be in love with Annie. Couldn't.

Of all people, he was the one that knew how relationships borne from a deep cover mission worked out. More often than not, they fell flat on their faces just as soon as the op was over, a bitter and vitriolic end to a surreal happily-ever-after.

He wouldn't do that to Annie, even if she did, per chance, reciprocate his feelings.

Annie reached over and patted his hand, resting on his lap. "Hey, Aug, you okay?"

A little startled, he glanced up at her quickly and schooled his face into a relaxed, nonchalant smile. "What? No, Annie, I'm fine."

As Annie turned her attention back to the road and Auggie returned to his thoughts, he admitted to himself that no, no, he wasn't fine. How was it possible to love Annie, to play the role of her husband, but to not truly have her?

* * *

"Felix, my man!" Bowman called from across the hallway. "How gowzit, bruthah?"

Across the hall, Felix Williams groaned. "Bowman, have you been having another Hawaii Five-0 marathon again?"

Bowman shrugged sheepishly. "What can I say, bruthah? It's a good show!"

Felix rolled his eyes and came to a stop in front of the techie. "So how's it going in the DPD?"

Bowman shrugged, refusing to give up his horrid Hawaiian accent. "Same old, same old, bruthah. But her highness is _not_ happy today, so I'll catch you on the sail winds!"

Felix sent Bowman's retreating form a befuddled look. That didn't even make sense.

Shaking his head, Felix continued on his way to Arthur's office and put Bowman's antics out of his mind.

* * *

**A/N:** Can you tell I'm going into Hawaii Five-0 withdrawal? :*( I loved Bowman in the season premiere, and I figured he deserved a bit of love, especially after Stu became such a superstar around here. :)

And dawwwww… who's happy about Auggie's little revelation? It only occurred to me, a week or so ago, how genius of an idea it was to do this, too. And don't freak out about his little latter revelation—I really didn't want to include it, but I just think it's something Auggie _would_ have noticed, so I figured it'd kinda be OOC not to use that plot point. We'll move past it as soon as possible. :) Promise. :)

Oh, and Kristin, I know you didn't leave a signed review, so I can't thank you in a PM… but seriously, thank you for your review! It really touched me. Good luck with your novel!

Please review!


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N:** lalala

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Covert Affairs

* * *

Chapter 11

A week later, Annie came to Auggie at 4:17 in the morning. Auggie was listening to the afternoon news, scoffing at the number of cats stuck in trees that the news channel deemed newsworthy (seriously, wasn't this number eight in the past three weeks?), when Annie interrupted his thoughts.

"Hi." She dropped onto his lap, wrapped her arms around his neck, and invaded his space. He could smell her perfume, feel the tickle of her breathing against his face, moments before her lips met his in a sweet, electrifying kiss.

He kissed her back hungrily, not sure what she was kissing him for, but frankly, he didn't care. The past week, trying to keep his distance, trying to forget the attraction to her that followed him every second of the day, struggling with his inner demons over why it was such a bad idea to fall in love with Annie, anyway… it had been torture. _This_—Annie in his arms, knowing exactly how he felt—there was no way he'd say no to this.

His hands found his way up to her face, cupping it. Her cheeks were so soft. As he held her in his arms, he couldn't help thinking how completely, adorably perfect she was. He pulled her closer, tasting her more deeply. It was crazy—it was like he couldn't get enough of her. He whispered her name against her lips, and he instantly wondered how crazy she thought he was. He didn't think he'd ever called out a girl's name like that, not ever. But if Annie only knew how quickly, how hard, he'd fallen for her…

She pulled away slowly, shyly, hiding in his arms. _Gah_, he would give just about anything to be able to see her right now. She must be positively adorable. She touched her forehead to his, resting against him, regaining her breath, and Auggie stroked her cheek gently. "Hi."

She giggled. She twisted a little in his arms, glancing at the TV. "So, anything interesting in the news?"

He grinned back at her. "Nothing anywhere near as interesting as what's going on in here."

She snorted. "You need to work on your pick-up lines."

He just laughed, content to hold her in his arms. The silence lingered between them comfortably, and after a few moments, Annie slipped off his lap and onto the couch next to him. Snuggling against his side, after a few moments, she looked up at him. "Hey, Auggie?"

"Hmm?"

She pressed a soft kiss against his shoulder. "Why don't you tell her?"

He instantly knew what she was talking about. He still couldn't believe it'd been a week since he'd discovered how he felt about Annie, and he still hadn't done anything. Still, he didn't want to lose Annie as a friend, but what if a relationship between them _did_ last beyond this op? What if a relationship between them could last forever? The thought kept nagging him, but the fear of hurting Annie kept him from saying anything.

"It's not that easy, Annie."

"Why not? Love is easy. People make it complicated. You love Annie. Annie loves being with you. If she's half the person that I am in your dreams, how could it possibly go wrong? You have to trust in something eventually."

_But I can't trust myself. I'll break her heart._ "I can't trust myself."

She reached up, stroking his cheek gently. "Then trust her. Trust Annie's love for you."

_Trust Annie's love_? The idea seemed foreign to him, but the idea that Annie could really, truly love him took his breath away. Could he really—could they really…

"Auggie!"

He stirred on his mattress, trying to orient himself. He recognized Annie's voice calling out to him. "Auggie! Wake up!"

He felt the sun shining on his face, and he could hear the birds singing in the nearby trees. The Manassas apartment. Only now he was in the master bedroom. "Annie?"

She grinned down at him. "Hey, sleepin' beauty."

Auggie groaned and rubbed his eyes. "What time is it?"

"Seven thirty."

He groaned again and sat up. "Why didn't you wake me earlier?" It was only Wednesday, and they had to be at the school in less than half an hour.

She just grinned again. "You looked like you needed it. I'm gonna go make you breakfast. I picked out some especially dapper clothes to balance out that lovely bedhead of yours."

Auggie just groaned again. Dreaming of Annie definitely had consequences.

* * *

Auggie was grinning like a fool as he ambled down the hallway of Mercy Christian Academy the next day. He knew he probably shouldn't be, but really, he couldn't help himself, and he wondered why he even tried to stop himself.

Annie filled him with so much joy and utter happiness that really, it was idiotic to try and hide it. Something like loving Annie was meant to be belted from the mountaintops, so that all could hear.

After all, all the world loves a lover.

He thought back to that morning, how he'd had to wake her in order to make it to their faculty meeting that started at seven thirty. She'd been curled up against the edge of the bed, fist curled up under her chin, as her loose blond tresses fell gently around her face. He ached at the thought of sharing that bed with her, waking up with her in his arms every morning. One of his hands rested on her hip, over the thick comforter, and the other reached out tentatively, caressing her cheek. He had been so tempted to lean in and kiss her awake. He had settled, instead, to whisper her name. "Annie?" She'd slowly woken under his touch, lifting her head off the pillow, swallowing sleepily, and then she'd whispered his name. "Auggie?"

Her voice had been so sweet, just groggy enough. How cute could she possibly be? The thought of waking up, hearing that every morning, nearly did him in. He leaned a few inches closer to her lips, tucking a few of her sunny tresses behind her ear, before he realized what he was doing. His eyes fluttered shut, trying to push away the reality, and he pushed to his feet, offering her a hand to help her to her feet. "C'mon. We have that meeting early today."

She nodded and yawned, accepting his offered hand.

Just the image of her in his mind, as he'd woken her, was enough to keep him grinning like a fool for a week straight. It didn't help that he was on his way to see her. Annie was like sweet fuel to his veins.

As he found the doorway to her classroom and propped his shoulder up against it, he stopped to listen. Mingus was softly playing, and Annie was humming along as she worked. From the sound of it, she was straightening out the desks and chairs.

He slowly grinned, until he realized he was doing it again. Groaning silently, he tried to school his face into a nonchalant look, but it ended up looking like he'd just swallowed a goldfish. If she could see him now, Auggie thought, she would surely laugh at him.

It was just after 11:00, and Annie's last morning French class had ended for the day about fifteen minutes ago. He cleared his throat loudly enough for her to hear, and she beamed up at him. "Auggie!"

He grinned in reply, pushing off of the doorjamb. "Hey." He ambled over to her, feeling his way through the aisles of desks. It was just easier, to feel his way, rather than worrying about tangling his cane in all the legs of the chairs and the desks. "Are you busy?"

She shrugged. "Not really. Just cleaning up. Why?"

He beckoned to her with a wave of his head. "C'mon. Ari wanted to show us something."

She nodded, heading back to her desk to put away her books for the moment. "Okay." A moment later, she was at his side, curling her fingers around his bicep. Grinning broadly at her, he reached over and patted her hand, his own hand lingering a few seconds longer than necessary. As she guided him out of the room, she reached the doorway and said, "Sooo… where are we going?"

His eyes twinkled as he glanced over at her. "Our special place."

They'd set up an old filing cabinet and a laptop in the old bomb shelter. The entrance was so inconspicuous that no one had even noticed it was in use part of the time by the group of students, and Perrot still hadn't been able to locate it, after months of looking. From the video surveillance Annie and Auggie had kept, they knew it was driving him crazy.

When they arrived at the bomb shelter, Ari was there, with the fifteen other students who were a part of the project. They were beaming ear-to-ear. "We did it!" they squealed, thrilled with themselves, as Ari grabbed one of Annie's arms and one of Auggie's and dragged them to the laptop. "Come see!" Aurélie insisted, pushing them into the two open swivel chairs in front of the laptop. Auggie's chair began to roll away, and Annie reached out to rein him back in.

Annie glanced from the kids to Auggie to the kids again. "How does it work?" she asked, studying the screen in front of her. Auggie had worked more with them on the programming, since that was his specialty, and she'd spent more time encouraging them, bringing them snacks, fueling their passion for the project.

Annie listened as several of the physics kids explained how it worked, and she watched as Auggie messed around with the program, guiding her around how everything worked. The laptop was not programmed for a blind person to use, so she had to work everything, but once they were finished, Auggie was beaming from ear to ear. He turned to Aurélie, and one of the physics boys, Isaiah, and high-fived them both. "Good job, guys."

They just beamed in pride.

"Okay. You guys need to package this up, so Mrs. Anderson and I can take it to the testing facility that we made arrangements with in January. Remember?"

They nodded, and Auggie evacuated his seat for Isaiah. Auggie reached for Annie's hand, pulling her to her feet. "Okay. Mrs. Anderson and I are going to get lunch for everybody. Do you think you can have it ready when we get back?"

The choruses of approval put a grin on Auggie's face as he tugged Annie out the door. They had done it.

* * *

Bill and Baptiste Perrot sat in Bill's Bentley, staring hard at August and Anaïs Anderson, walking along the sidewalk, arm in arm, laughing together.

Baptiste didn't know what the couple thought they were doing, but he didn't like it. Nothing good had come of the arrival of the Andersons. First, they'd swooped in, winning Aurélie's affections, distracting her from her work. When he'd first seen Aurélie relaxing in their apartment that day he hadn't been able to pick her up, he'd hoped he was just imagining things, but as the months passed by, his daughter spent more and more of her time with the Andersons. He was sure they were indoctrinating her. She came home with dreams of changing the world and doing good for people and not standing for injustice. He had known she had always been an optimist, a dreamer, but he'd never feared that one day, his daughter would be the one to give him up to the authorities.

Now, he wasn't so sure.

It had only gotten worse when the Andersons had become the faculty sponsors for Ari's brainchild-idea. Before they had taken over, he had been able to get the location of all the files from her, but now that they were in charge, the files and technology were nowhere to be found. Not on the school computers, not in any of the filing cabinets, not in any of the storage units at the school. It was as if the school project had completely vanished. He'd even had one of his men, Benoît, tail the couple—for a whole week. He'd found nothing.

Baptiste had to fight off a sneer as he watched them laugh and tease each other. Anaïs pushed up on her tiptoes and brushed an adorable kiss on her husband's cheek, and Baptiste growled.

They were adorable. Sickeningly, perfectly, despicably adorable. That was their problem. Somehow, they were thwarting his every move, and they looked too utterly perfect to be at fault for anything.

And now Bill was watching, and he could see how sickeningly adorable the two were, and there was no way he would buy Baptiste's story.

They all knew what that would mean. Baptiste cringed, thinking about Bill's tirade to come. Of course he wouldn't blame them. He would only see Baptiste blaming all the failures to steal the information on an adorable couple that seemed perfect on the outside.

Baptiste didn't even want to know what would happen if Bill made good on his promises.

As the Andersons climbed into the silver Honda Civic and drove away, Bill turned silver Honda Civic and drove away, Bill turned Baptiste, anger written across his face. "I thought you told me they were ruining the plan! …"

* * *

At exactly 3:41, Aurélie Perrot came running out of the school building, chasing after Annie's and Auggie's Honda Civic, waving her hands and screaming, "Wait, wait, stop!"

Annie saw her in the rearview mirror and slammed on the breaks, waiting for Ari to catch up. Annie rolled down the window. "What do you need, Ari?"

Ari gave them a hopeful look. "Can I come with you? Please?"

Annie glanced at Auggie, and then back to Aurélie. She knew she could never win. Auggie was way to tied to Aurélie as it was, and she was just so stinkin' hopeful.

Besides, it would be a lie to say that Aurélie hadn't stolen Annie's heart, as well.

Smiling softly, she nodded to the back seat. "Get in."

Squealing happily, she opened the back door and settled in, dropping her backpack next to her on the seat and buckling her seatbelt. As Annie pulled out of the parking lot, Aurélie leaned forward and noticed Auggie was holding Annie's hand, caressing it lightly and she grinned at them in the rearview mirror. "Awww," she cooed. "You guys are so cute together!"

It seemed to be a recurring theme for them. Aurélie said something similar every time she saw the two of them together.

Annie and Auggie both blushed and refused to look at each other. Auggie wasn't ready to let go of his worries, to believe that something between them could actually work, and last forever, and Annie—well, lately Auggie had been more affectionate (she didn't know that was even possible), and her dreams were back in full force. She wanted to love him, but she was afraid.

As Annie pulled out of the school parking lot and down the road, she slowly succumbed to the sweet, gentle, insistent pressure of Auggie's hand in hers. Unconsciously, she leaned into his gentle caress, smiling softly to herself, before she grazed her thumb lightly over the back of his hand, returning the sweet caress.

She hadn't even realized she'd done it, but when she did, she felt something slowly heal inside of her. Annie Walker was made to love Auggie Anderson, and trying to ignore that love was even worse than trying to hide it. Smiling to herself, she rested their entwined hands against Auggie's knee.

Though she wouldn't have been able to admit it (or even recognize it), all she wanted was to be closer to Auggie. The feel of the refined wool of his dress pants brushed against the back of her hand, and Auggie's strong fingers curled around hers protectively, clenching her hand affectionately. She squeezed back, loving the feel of his hand in hers, once again. It was a small gesture, but it meant the world.

Aurélie chattered to them the whole way to the testing facility, telling them about what kind of decorations the gymnasium would have, and what the party in April would entail, and how her homework was going, and how weird her dad had been acting lately. Annie just grinned as she listened. She could get used to this, spending a free afternoon with Auggie and Aurélie.

* * *

"Annie!"

Auggie's voice echoed through the apartment, and he scrambled around the coffee table and into his spot on the couch. Mentally, he went through his checklist of the things he'd had to do—pop the popcorn, check; queue the DVD, check; make sure the couch was cleared off from all the research he'd been doing all week, check.

Grinning, he repositioned himself in the corner of the couch, satisfied that he was ready.

He listened as Annie's padded footsteps made their way from the bedroom out to the living room area. They were muffled, almost as if she was dragging her feet, and when she spoke, her voice was heavy with weariness. "Aug? What'd you want?"

He flashed her his best charmer grin and patted the spot next to him on the couch. "Movie night. C'mon. It's gonna be _awesome_." He waggled his eyebrows knowingly, and Annie covered her mouth with her hand, trying to suppress her giggle.

Pushing his antics out of his mind, the worry of catching up on all her French grading before Spring Break nagged her again, she sighed and said, "Auggie, I can't. I have a ton of grading to do."

He reached his arm out, snagging her wrist lightly. "C'mon. You're frazzled. You need a break. Besides, I found your favorite movie…" he teased.

Her gaze flitted to the screen, noticing the opening credits for _While You Were Sleeping_. She hadn't seen the movie in a while, and she really did love it…

Sensing she was caving, he picked up the bowl of popcorn on the coffee table. "I made popcorn… your favorite kind…"

Sighing, she stepped over his legs, crossed at the ankles, and she plopped down on the couch next to him. She held her hands out. "Popcorn, please."

Grinning over at her, he handed her the bowl and pressed the play button the remote. It took her several minutes, but soon she relaxed, curling her legs up beneath her. Half an hour into the movie, she curled up against him, hugging his arm and resting her cheek on his shoulder. In a half-asleep stupor, she laughed and said, "Jack's brother looks like Arthur." She laughed again, into his shoulder. That one statement showed both how adorable and how exhausted she truly was, and it only made him love her more. He wished he could hold her, let her know everything would be okay.

Annie had had a hard week. Simon Henzel had attacked her nearly every day—when Auggie wasn't around to protect her, of course—and that had only added to the stress of dealing with midterm exams and grades. The grades were due Tuesday, the day Spring Break started, and Annie had been constantly worried and frazzled since the beginning of the week, when reality set in. Auggie was fairly certain he'd walked in on her while she was crying at least three times this week.

On top of all that, Auggie wondered if there wasn't more at stake. Annie usually took to a challenge like grabbing a bull by its horns, not like a deer caught in the headlights.

Auggie laughed at her joke, but pulled her closer, wrapping his arms around her protectively. She was too close to sleep to even notice.

As she fell completely asleep, falling lax in his arms, her head slipped down and rested on his chest. Her silky blond hair dropped across his face, and he breathed in the subtle scent of her perfume and shampoo.

She smelled so good.

He reached up, brushing her hair out of both of their faces. He hesitated, his mouth only inches from her temple. He knew he shouldn't, but she was so close, and nothing felt more right. Leaning forward a few inches, he closed the distance between them. He kissed her temple gently, his lips lingering longer than was probably necessary, hoping she wouldn't wake. He slouched down farther into the couch, propping his socked feet up on the coffee table, as he cradled her more comfortably in his arms. His eyes fluttered shut slowly and his chin came to rest over Annie's head as he listened to the movie continue to play, and he drifted off to sleep, dreams of Annie and forever happiness in mind.

* * *

Annie woke to the feeling of Auggie's arms wrapping around her protectively after he lifted her off the couch. He lifted her so easily, as if he was used to doing this. Sleepily, she snuggled deeper into his arms and looked up into his eyes. "Auggie? Where are you taking me?"

He stared deep into her eyes for a moment before he leaned in, kissing her softly. "Shh. I'm just taking you back to bed, baby."

"Where was I?"

He chuckled at her sleepy question. "I think you fell asleep. Watching that movie again."

"While You Were Sleeping?"

His eyes twinkled back at her. "Yeah. You know, if you keep doing that, you'll fall asleep in front of one of Joan's briefings, and she'll have your head."

Annie blushed and buried her face in his chest. "Be nice. You're supposed to be my husband."

He grinned down at her as he maneuvered them awkwardly in their bedroom, pulling back the covers before he deposited her on her side of the bed. Pulling the covers back over her, he leaned down, kissing her good night. "I am your husband," he said, his eyes twinkling back at her merrily as he studied her, lying there. "I love you, baby."

Her head rolled sleepily in his direction as she watched him watching her. "Me, too."

"You love you, too?"

"Be nice…"

Auggie laughed as he walked around to his side of the bed, climbing in next to her. He wrapped his arm around her, burying his face in the crook between her shoulder and neck, and they slipped into sweet sleep…

* * *

**A/N:** NOTE: Before you freak out, that last scene WAS a dream. I couldn't figure out how to make it more obvious without destroying the beauty of it. They don't move that fast. Haha.

I'm in a huge hurry, so if there are editing errors, I just didn't have time to go through and check like I usually like do, but I wanted to post this straight away! Hopefully the content shines more than the grammatical errors. :)

Please leave a review and let me know what you think!


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Covert Affairs

* * *

Chapter 12

"Hey, ladies," Auggie called into the faculty break room with an air of confidence as he sauntered in nonchalantly. He flashed his charmer grin as he put away his cane and pulled out the chair next to Annie. She couldn't help but notice this was the Auggie she'd first met, when she'd first entered the halls of Langley, and it made her smile.

His confidence was something she loved about him.

Lately, he'd been acting kinda wishy-washy and soft, almost as if he wasn't the Auggie she'd grown to love, but this—this was her Auggie.

"Hey, Auggie," Vivian, Tess, and a few other teachers chorused back to him, and he dropped into the seat next to Annie. Somehow, instinctively, his hand connected with her cheek, and he stroked it affectionately, leaning in before his lips connected with hers, sweetly, perfectly. How did he do that? It was like he had psychic Annie-location. She still didn't know how he could find her, in the middle of a room—perfectly, she might add—and kiss her so perfectly. She tried to push that thought—and how perfectly he had kissed her—from her mind.

"Hi, Auggie," she murmured, keeping to her more reserved, quiet cover. She reached up, taking his hand in hers as she scooted her chair a bit closer to his. "What are you doing, baby? Didn't you eat a little bit ago?"

Auggie shifted in frustration as he heard Vivian and Tess and the others press in closer to hear his answer. He'd purposely found Annie when she was with people, so it would be easier to make sure she went along with his plan, but now that he—they—were here, all he wanted was some privacy with Annie.

It was Tuesday—finally—and grades would be turned in by five o'clock. The midterm pressure for Annie was over, and he'd hoped they could go off, on their own, with a little time to just relax and have fun. Hopefully in public, so he could see if the dreams that had been plaguing him had any merit.

Tess, Vivian, and the girls weren't going anywhere—obviously—and it was rude to just walk away with Annie, right then and there (much as he was tempted to do so). He reached out, his hand connecting with Annie's knee, and he gently nudged her until she faced him. He reached for her hands, cupping them in his own. "Baby, I have a question."

Annie frowned at him slightly, confused. She glanced over at Vivian before her gaze locked with his again. "Okay?"

_Gah_, she was so adorable. He didn't even have to see her to know it. Just sitting across from her, like this, made him feel his heart fluttering in his chest. Loving her _moved_ him. Was it possible? To feel such love that it made you a better person, that made you want to move mountains for that love?

He reached up, cupping her cheek gently, almost forgetting about the four girls staring at the intimate moment unfolding in front of them. "Runaway with me," he whispered, encouraging her with a soft smile.

She frowned at him a little, again. "Run away?"

He leaned forward, closing the distance between them. The kiss was soft, brief, gentle. "Let's go to Cape May tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?"

He nodded, stroking her cheek gently, hoping she would understand. "Yeah, baby. You've been so stressed with grades lately, and I just thought… I thought you might like to get away, and to just relax for a little." He offered her a gentle smile, hoping she would say yes. The idea of running away with Annie was more appealing than he should probably admit. "Besides, you've been talking about taking a little vacation, and my brother said you'd love it there…"

From across the table, Tess, Vivian, and the other girls cooed. "Aww…" Tess called above them all, "Say yes, Annie!"

Annie smiled a little as her cheeks flamed, embarrassed. She hid in his arms for a moment, burying her face in his shirt, before he felt her nodding into his shirt. "Yeah?" he whispered, and she nodded again.

He grinned and reached down, finding the sides of her face and cupping it with his hands. He leaned in, kissing her softly, and she could feel his lips smiling against hers in that brief kiss.

Kissing a grinning Auggie was definitely better than just kissing Auggie. She could feel the happiness emanating from him, and she couldn't help but catch his sweet joy. When he pulled away, he whispered, "I gotta go, baby. I promised them I wouldn't leave the library for long. I'll see you this afternoon?"

She couldn't help but be caught up in the wonder of a man who took such good care of her, even if it was just a mission. She bit her lower lip demurely and smiled, reaching up to caress his cheek much like he'd done for her. Nodding silently, she said, "Yeah, okay. Baby?"

He stilled as he fished around in his pocket for his cane. "Hmm?"

"I love you."

"I love you, too." It killed him, how much he meant those four words, and how much he hoped she meant them, too. As he stood to his feet, he leaned down, kissing her temple, and he disappeared from view, his white cane leading the way back to the library.

Annie stared after Auggie as he retreated from the break room. _A trip to Cape May?_

She couldn't help but be mystified by his proposition. Was it just to reinforce their cover? But then, why hadn't he suggested this (or something similar) in December, when they were first establishing their covers? Most of all, _why_ did he want to take her to Cape May?

She shook her head subtly and pasted a smile on her face, preparing for the gushing that was sure to ensue.

With Vivian and Tess in the room, it was practically promised.

* * *

The next morning, Auggie woke at 5:30. He figured he would give Annie a few extra minutes to sleep in after all the sleepless nights she'd had lately, and, when he'd woken up, she had been snoring so adorably that he couldn't help himself. (He was a sucker, really.) He puttered around the kitchen (quietly, he hoped), trying to put together a picnic lunch for them. He hadn't been to Cape May since his family had visited Ocean City in sixth grade, but from what he remembered, there were benches and picnic areas enough for he and Annie to relax between shopping, walking, and walking the beach and stop for lunch. Annie usually did most of the cooking, but they'd taken a few hours to label everything in Braille for him for instances such as these, when he needed to know where everything was.

By six o'clock, he was barely focusing on making sure the jelly and peanut butter stayed on the bread and that the food he was gathering wouldn't spoil after sitting in a backpack all day—all his attention was focused on Annie, spending a whole day with her, without the pressure of missions, grading, uncovering Bill's crime ring, and the million other things that were constantly on their minds.

Just a day with Annie. Sweet, beautiful, happy, glorious Annie.

At 6:17, a bleary-eyed Annie appeared in the open archway that led to the hallway, her left hand propped against the wall, her right hand combing through her lovely bedhead. She flipped on the lamp a few feet in front of her, and she blinked to adjust to the light. As Auggie's lazy gaze turned to her, she decide she was glad—very glad, considering the image in the hall mirror she'd noticed on her way out to the kitchen—that he couldn't see her now. She'd slept soundly for the past ten hours, and yet, the deep weariness still lingered. She flipped on the lamp a couple yards in front of her and squinted at the light. "Auggie?"

A slow, tender smile slid up the corners of his face. "Hey, Annie." He almost let slip the endearment he'd called her in public for the past four months—_baby_—but he caught himself at the last minute.

She ambled over to him, her hand gliding over the smooth countertop. A sleepy smile ghosted over her features when she saw the peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwiches, Capri Sun drinks, small bags of potato chips, apples, and—her mouth watered at this—double-fudge mint brownies. Where had he gotten those from?

He was really serious about this. She still didn't understand what had prompted it all, but she decided to simply embrace it. A day with Auggie at Cape May sounded just about perfect. She wasn't exactly sure how he was going to enjoy everything—she'd been to Cape May before, and a lot of it depended on visual cues—but Auggie seemed to be even more excited about the day's activities than she was.

Besides. She was a beach girl at heart. Who was she to stop his joy?

Still half in her sleepy stupor, she wrapped her arms around him and she stared up into his face. "You made double-fudge mint brownies?"

He laughed at the sound of wonder in her voice. "Annie, you act like I don't know you by now."

She laughed, too, and buried her face in his arm. His tee shirt smelled like a mixture of his cologne and laundry detergent.

He hugged her in return for a moment, then pulled back. "Are you almost ready? Mapquest said it'd take about four hours to get to the ferry, and I ordered tickets for the 10:15 ferry…"

Annie watched him with a smile. He was so cute when he got flustered about details like this. She reached up and patted his cheek with a little laugh. "Relax, bright eyes. Just let me change."

As she disappeared around the corner, Auggie stared after her, a confused look on his face, and he said, "Bright eyes?"

Annie's only reply was her laughter echoing down the hallway.

* * *

Annie leaned against the railing of the ferry, loving the feel of the ocean's spray against her face. It'd been a while since she'd seen the ocean like this, and she'd forgotten how much she loved it.

The ocean was endless and free and strong-willed—it did what it wanted, when it wanted. It was a free spirit, just like her. She loved the sound of the waves lapping against the side of the ferry. She loved watching the sea gulls screeching and flitting above the ocean's waters, the occasional dolphin making its appearance. The ocean was quiet, solitary. She loved to think when she was on the ocean like this. Somehow, after staring out into the sea for the past half hour, the worry and tension for the past months had slowly slipped away.

She turned to look when she heard footsteps coming up behind her, along with the scrape of a certain white cane. "Hey, Auggie."

He followed the sound of her voice to her and came to a stop at her side, dropping his arm around her shoulders protectively and pulling her slight form against him. He leaned over instinctively and pressed a gentle kiss to her temple. "Aren't you cold out here?"

The breeze coming off the ocean was cool—even cold—during most of the year, but it was still mid-March, and the weather was even cooler than usual. She looked up at his worried face and patted his cheek gently. "Don't worry. I'm fine, baby." She stared back into the ocean and sighed happily. She leaned back against the railing, staring out into the endless sea. "Do you feel that?"

He gave her a quizzical look. "What?"

She held her hand out over the railing, feeling the spray of the water mist on her hand and arm. "The ocean spray." She reached out, taking his hand, and she held it over the edge of the railing. "Feel it?"

He nodded and Annie grinned. "I love the ocean." She stared at the expanse before them. "It's so relaxing." She closed her eyes, trying to imagine what Auggie was experiencing right now. She reached for his hand, intertwining their fingers, and she lifted her nose to the sun, embracing everything about the ocean—its smell, its taste, its sound, the way the pale March sun shined on her eyelids.

Auggie turned to her, an incredulous look on his face, his budding laughter barely controlled. "Annie, what are you doing?"

Her eyelids shot open and she glared at him, a fake pout lighting her features. "Don't you dare even think about making fun of me."

A laugh managed to escape his lips. "Wouldn't dare."

She jerked on his hand. "Close your eyes." She did the same. "Auggie, are you closing them? You better be closing your eyes…"

As Auggie let his eyelids flutter shut, he rolled his eyes. That's it. Annie was certifiably crazy. "I don't think it really matters, Annie…"

She jerked his hand again. "It's more magical that way. Just close them."

An amused smile danced on his lips. "They're closed!"

She let one eyelid flutter open so she could squint at him. Dutifully, his eyes were closed. Closing her eye again, she huffed. "Good. Keep them that way."

For the next fifteen minutes, they stood there, holding hands, while Annie described to him every aspect of the beach she loved, the breeze whipping through their hair, the salty scent tickling their noses. When Annie began to shiver, she opened her eyes and rubbed her arm to try and warm it up.

She'd barely had time to let her eyes adjust to the light when Auggie's hand reached up and cupped her jaw. Her eyes fluttered shut again when his lips touched hers, and she automatically responded to his touch, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him closer. She kissed him back desperately, forgetting that she was supposed to be Anaïs and he was supposed to be Auggie the librarian—she was Annie and he was Auggie, and this was the man she loved.

After a few more moments, he pulled away, and she wanted to whimper at the instant loss of connection. Why had he stopped?

He loosed his hand from being tangled in her hair and tucked the loose strands behind her ear before he stroked her cheek gently. "Sorry," he whispered. "I thought I heard someone coming."

She fleetingly wondered why that automatically meant that they had to kiss, but she pushed the thought from her mind. She wasn't going to protest to a kiss.

Annie shivered again in his arms, and he quickly turned around, guiding her back into the warmth of the dining room compartment of the ferry. He deposited her at one of the empty tables and whispered, "Stay here."

She watched as he walked away, his cane guiding him, to the register at the front of the room. When he returned, he held a steaming cup of hot cocoa in his hand. He pulled out the chair across from her and placed the mug in front of her. "Here. I figured you could use this."

She smiled softly back at him as she accepted the cup. "Thanks, Auggie."

* * *

Annie grinned up at Auggie through the pair of sunglasses he'd just insisted on buying her. He hadn't been able to see how they looked on her, but he had insisted they made her look like a rock star.

She was tempted to agree. Either that, or like a three-year-old wearing her momma's larger-than-life sunglasses.

Either way, Auggie insisted they brought out her larger-than-life, child-like, exuberant personality. She wouldn't have described herself that way, but she was more inclined to say that _Auggie_ brought the goodness out of her, not a silly pair of sunglasses.

Nonetheless, as she walked down the middle of the strip of gift shops and stared up at Auggie, she couldn't help but think about how much she'd missed this—spending a whole day with someone she loved, talking, checking out shops, letting him buy her gifts.

When they'd first arrived at Cape May, they had taken the tour of the island. Annie was sure he hadn't gotten anything out of it, but he insisted she take a picture of everything the tour guide described. Since the bus didn't stop for photographs and she hadn't thought to bring an actual camera, she was sure she had about 55 blurry photos on her cell phone, but if it could bring out Auggie's heart-melting grin, she really didn't care.

Afterwards, Auggie had dragged her to the beach—well, she was the one that guided them there, but he had insisted. He spread the blanket he'd brought out on the sand, and they ate their peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and double-fudge mint brownies, and Annie teased him about who had insisted on peanut butter and jelly this time.

As she stepped around a center display on the cobblestone street, she couldn't stop the smile that lit her face at the thought of the sand castle Auggie had insisted they build. By the time they'd finished, their hands were blue from their repeated trips to retrieve the freezing ocean water to hold the castle walls in place, but she had to admit—building sand castles with Auggie was fun. She had been laughing all day, from his jokes and antics.

She'd missed this, the pressure-free time with Auggie. They'd done nothing but spend time together, but somehow, the stress of the mission and her little revelation in December had gotten to her. She loved the way that they'd walked together, hand-in-hand, for the past hour, browsing whatever shops piqued their interest. She felt like they were close again, like they had always been, before that first dream. That was more reassuring than she could have ever imagined.

"C'mon," she heard Auggie say, and she turned to see what he was talking about. "Let's go in this store."

She read the store's title curiously. _Trina's Trinkets_. The window didn't display anything particularly interesting. She laughed. "Aug, you don't even know what store it is."

He shrugged. "I don't need to. That's what days like this are for."

She grinned into the sleeve of his hoodie that he'd donned when they boarded the ferry that morning. "Okay. Let's go." The shop was small, stuffed with little trinkets, with narrow aisles. She stopped short when she saw the crowded aisles.

Turning around partially, she looked up into his eyes. "Okay. It's kinda crowded in here, okay? Here, put your cane away. 'Kay, just hold onto me, okay?" She guided his hands to her hips, knowing it was a decision she'd probably regret later, but really, she didn't know what else to do. There was hardly any room for one person to walk, much less for her to guide Auggie to the place, side-by-side.

Auggie wondered if Annie had any clue what she was doing, when she placed his hands on her hips. Despite her lacy, flowery blouse (he knew it was flowery, because the cashier at the shop he'd bought her those rock star sunglasses had complimented her on it) and her soft cashmere sweater, he could feel the warmth of what he assumed was her perfect skin, and following Annie around a gift shop in Cape May was the last thing on his mind. The feel of her perfect hips under his hands was driving him crazy. All he wanted to do was turn her around and kiss her for real.

During the past week and a half since his little realization, he'd enjoyed every kiss, every touch (what healthy male wouldn't?), but he'd held back. They were, after all, undercover, and Annie was still officially his best friend. He felt like a pig, taking advantage of her without her knowing about his feelings.

But all day, Annie had been so perfectly _Annie_ that he thought he was going crazy. This was the Annie he'd fallen for, and it was driving him insane, being so close to her, spending so much time with her, without being able to say anything. Though no one from MCA was around to increase their stress level, they were still undercover as August and Anaïs Anderson, and there was no way he could tell her now.

Just when he thought he couldn't take it any longer, she came to a stop and reached for one of his hands. "Hey, c'mere," she said quietly, apparently unaffected by the past several steps, and she tugged him over to where she was standing. "Look at this."

She was snickering under her breath, and, for the moment, deeper thoughts were gone when Annie placed a little trinket in his hand. "What is it?"

She laughed again. "It's a cowboy. Riding one of those huge tractors that they use for farming? But he's riding it like he would a horse, and it looks like he's trying to lasso something." She took the trinket from his hands again and started snickering all over again. "I wish you could see his face," she laughed, leaning against his side. "I'm pretty sure that's the stupidest face I've seen. Ever." Rolling her eyes, she placed the trinket back in its spot. "Who would hang that on their rearview mirror?"

Annie started moving again, and she reached to place his hand on her hips. Pulling his hand away, he placed it on her shoulder instead. "I think it'll be easier this way," he said. Her hair still tickled his hand and wrist, but it was better than what had been happening earlier.

* * *

Annie watched Auggie sleeping with a soft smile. They were finally on their way back to the ferry dock, and it was nearly eight o'clock. It would be after midnight by the time they got back to Manassas.

He was reclined in a few of the chairs, his curly dark hair blown by the little breeze that made its way into the dining room. She knew she should probably be the one sleeping, since she would be the one driving them both home to Manassas, but she couldn't help but watch him sleep.

She threaded her fingers into his hair, brushing it out of his face, and she smiled sadly. "I love you." She caressed his cheek lightly. "I know I shouldn't, but I just can't help myself."

She could help it when her mind wandered, wondering what it would be like to actually be Auggie's girl, for them to be completely in love. The possibilities made her ache with longing.

* * *

Auggie listened with a smile as Annie started mumbling to herself again. He'd been counting since they left the Cape May ferry dock. This was the sixth time. He was fairly sure it was a tactic to keep herself awake. He was fairly sure she was convinced he was sleeping soundly and that she wasn't aware of how incredibly adorable she was being.

He caught a few mumbled phrases: "people… stupid at ten o'clock," "Lady Gaga is _not_ entertainment" (he had to hide his snicker at that one), "gas stations are funded by fascist governments…"

He wondered how much she'd want to kill him if he begged her to pull off to the side of the road. She really made it impossible to not fall for her harder every second.

* * *

When they pulled up to their designated parking space for the apartment, Annie shook Auggie awake. "Auggie? Hey, Aug, wake up," she whispered. When he stirred, turning to face her, she squeezed his shoulder. "C'mon. Grab the backpack. We're home."

The small walk from their parking spot to their apartment was relatively quiet. Occasionally, Auggie would nudge her with his shoulder and reveal a corny, sleepy joke. She laughed at them all.

When she unlocked their front door and pushed it open, Auggie nudged her again. "Sooo… admit it, Annie. You love me." His eyes sparkled down at her, and a teasing grin lit his features.

She stood, staring up at him. She _did_ love him. It wasn't like she was trying to ignore it, but something snapped in her, and she just couldn't deny it anymore. Her hands reached up, cupping his face in warning a few milliseconds before her lips crashed to his. She was surprised when he responded, pulling her into his arms, angling her head slightly to the right, for better access.

Then, just when she started to forget just exactly what it was she'd just done, Auggie pulled away, holding her at arm's distance. His chest heaving just a little too adorably as he stared down at her, he whispered, "Annie… Annie, what are you doing?"

Tears blurred her vision. No, no, no… this could _not_ be happening. He had actually kissed her back, right? She hadn't made that up… after all that she'd suffered, after all the pain she'd inflicted on herself, after all those dreams, this could _not_ be happening. They were _perfect_ together… weren't they? Weren't they?

He was lightly caressing her arms, and she jerked away. After all the rumors, she'd never believed he was the heartbreaker. Auggie was too good of a man for that… but now? She folded her arms across her chest, backing away in a desperate attempt to put some distance between the two of them.

"What was I doing? You couldn't _tell_?"

"No, Annie! Come back. I need to tell you some—"

She stared at him coldly. "I _love_ you, okay? You may be evolved enough to figure out to bypass that emotion, but I'm not impervious to it!"

Auggie blanched, frozen in place. "You love me?" He took a few hesitant steps toward her, desperate to hold her in his arms again. This was definitely _not_ the way he imagined this happening, but she did _not_ get to drop a bombshell like that and stalk off.

He heard her footsteps back away from him. "Auggie, just… leave me alone, okay?"

He strode over to where he'd heard her last, going off of memory where everything in the apartment was located. His outstretched hand connected with her arm, and he pulled her closer. "Annie, c'mere," he whispered. One hand still clung to her arm, and he cupped her face with his free hand, stroking her cheek gently. "Annie. Annie. Annie!" He jerked her a little, trying to get her attention. "Annie, listen to me." His eyes fluttered shut, and he couldn't believe he'd given her the wrong impression. "What did I tell you, when we first accepted this mission from Joan?"

She stared back at him coldly. "That you'd be the best husband ever."

He smirked at that. "No, no, the other thing."

"That you wouldn't let anything happen to me?"

He let go of her arm with his hand and let it frame the other side of her face. Pouring all the love he could manage from his eyes to hers, he whispered, "Yeah. I'll never let anything happen to you, Annie. I promise. Annie, I'm crazy about you. Okay?"

She sucked in a shaky breath, trying to decide whether or not she should believe him, and he stroked her cheeks gently. "Yeah, baby, believe it. You take my breath away, okay? I don't even know how to live without you."

He stared down at her for a moment before he ducked down a few inches, capturing her lips with his. At first, it was just a tender caress, barely more than a whisper. He was obviously trying to convince her, gently, sweetly, perfectly, that he was as crazy about her as she was about him. She pushed up on her tiptoes, kissing him back. When he tilted his head gently and deepened the kiss, she moaned softly and threaded her fingers through his dark, curly hair. He still tasted like double-fudge mint brownies, and the thought made her grin like a fool.

Pulling away, she giggled and buried her face in his chest. How was it possible he made her so happy?

After a moment, she felt his strong hands find her face and he tugged her face up to his eye level, bending down just a little to be even with her. "What was that all about?"

"What, the kiss?" she asked, grinning like a fool. "I think that was kinda obvious."

He grinned back at her like an idiot and kissed her forehead sweetly. "No, baby, the laugh…"

"Oh." She blushed a little. "You taste like the brownies still."

He smiled across at her, stroking her cheek gently. "You know, you're incredibly adorable."

She blushed again, ducking her head in slight embarrassment.

"And I love it that you think fascists run gasoline companies."

Her cheeks blazed with fire. "You heard that?"

He chuckled, leaning in for another brief kiss. (How could he help himself, when she was only inches from him and was being so adorable, and well, just because he _could_?) "I heard it all, honey," he whispered. "You're too adorable to sleep through."

The thought of that made her grin like a fool and warmed her all the way to her toes. "I am, huh?"

"Yeah," he whispered, kissing her sweetly.

When he pulled away, she reached over and flipped on the light. "Let me just put the backpack away, and we can—" she called over her shoulder.

But before she finished her sentence, she stopped short, staring at the mess before her. "Auggie?" she called out in a trembling voice.

He turned toward her, worried at the tone in her voice. "What?"

"Wh-what happened?"

"What do you mean, what happened?"

"The-the apartment. Somebody broke in."

She only had to look at the slashed couch, the destroyed kitchen drawers and the contents of the apartment, strewn across the floor, to know this was no ordinary break-in. "Call Jai. Right now."

* * *

**A/N:** Happy? I was going to hold it off for one more chapter, but I was tired of putting it off. :)

And the whole Cape May thing was kinda inspired by my impending beach trip in a few weeks, for which I'm practically giddy. :) Last time I went to the beach, we went to Cape May, and I loved it. The little shop in one of the scenes was inspired by a shop that's actually at Cape May, but I don't remember what it's called. And the tractor thing definitely wasn't there. lol.

Review, pretty pretty please! :)


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N:** Hola! :)

Vicky, I just wanted to answer the question in your review—especially because I think people will benefit from it. It's hard to make it obvious that something is a dream without making it blatant and cheesy (like italicizing the whole thing, or something). In the opening scene of chapter 11, Auggie was asleep, in wee early hours of the morning, and he was dreaming. In his dream, it was 4:17 in the afternoon. I wish I knew of a way to make things like that more clear, but I hope it makes sense now. :)

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Covert Affairs… lalalala…

* * *

Chapter 13

Annie woke to the feel of the spring sun shining on her face and a familiar hand holding hers, caressing it lightly. She stifled a yawn and blinked a few times, trying to orient herself to the waking world.

She grinned into her pillow when she saw how close Auggie was, just sitting in that chair by her bed, his gaze settling on a spot on her pillow just to the left of her head, like he'd long ago made a habit of watching over her while she slept. He was so… perfect, sipping his coffee while he waited for her to wake, caressing her hand like that. "Hi," she whispered, and she loved the way he grinned back at her.

"Morning, babe," he said, and she wondered just how long he'd been waiting to say those words and have her know he really, truly meant them. He deposited his coffee on the nightstand by the bed, and reached over, instinctively finding the side of her face. He lowered his lips to hers, kissing her sweetly, briefly.

When he pulled away, she sat up in bed, hugging her knees. "Aren't you getting brave, kissing me when we're not even undercover?" she teased, grinning up at him. She wondered if he would notice if she stole some of his coffee.

His eyes twinkled right back at her. "I think I heard Tess just walk in the door."

Annie snorted. "I thought being blind was supposed to enhance your hearing, Aug." She snaked her hand out, stealing his coffee cup off the nightstand, and she took a long slurp.

"Hey!"

She stared back at him innocently. "What?"

He rolled his eyes. "That's my coffee!"

She laughed as she deposited the mug on the nightstand again. "I knew you wouldn't let me get away with it." She leaned back against the mountain of pillows behind her as Auggie scooped up his mug of coffee, sipping it protectively.

She smiled softly to herself as she watched him, loving that she didn't have to hide anything from him anymore. It was so freeing. She reached her leg out, nudging his knee with her bare toes. "So how was the couch?"

After Auggie had called Jai, Jai had raced to the apartment, a small congregation of CIA agents on his heels (posing as crime scene investigators, of course). While Jai pulled the details out of Annie and Auggie, the other agents collected evidence for Joan. Once everything wrapped up, at nearly 1:30, Jai insisted they stay at his apartment until theirs could be fixed up properly. Since Jai was under the assumption that they were still only friends (and neither Annie or Auggie felt like sharing their little development with the world yet), Annie took the bed in the guest room, and Auggie got the couch.

He reached out, holding onto her foot, caressing the top of it gently, as he made a funny face. "Let's not talk about that."

She laughed. She'd forgotten how easily Auggie could make her laugh. She hadn't laughed as much in the past four months, and she'd missed it. "Oh, let's," she countered, her eyes twinkling. "What was so terrible about this bed, anyway?"

He rolled his eyes. "Well, first of all, it wasn't a bed. _You_ got the bed, remember? I got the lumpy couch. The lumpy, scratchy, too-short couch that made my neck permanently bend like this?" he said, pointing to his neck, angled comically to the side.

She covered her mouth with her hand, but still her laughter filled the room. Auggie sent her an annoyed look, but it didn't faze her. "You do realize that I probably slept more in this chair, waiting for you to wake up, than I did in that infernal couch?"

Annie's laughter filled the room again. "Do you want me to kiss it better?" she teased.

Their light banter suddenly turned more serious as Auggie thought about the implications of that. Auggie didn't want to think about that kind of intimacy. Not yet. They had barely admitted that they had feelings for each other, and, yes, they had a ton of time to catch up for, but he wanted to take it slowly with Annie. She deserved having something real, something true and beautiful, after all the disappointment Ben—and other guys—had given her.

Annie laughed a little, let her foot drop to the floor, and leaned in, kissing him briefly before a little voice interrupted them at the door. "Wanna play House?"

Annie pulled away from Auggie, wishing they'd had more time together. Now that they had each other, all she wanted was to be able to spend time with him. Her hand still resting on Auggie's knee, she turned around to see Hannah standing in the doorway, her dark hair in two loose French braids, dressed in a light pink dress, holding one of her dolls by its ponytail. Annie grinned over at her. "Hey, Hannah Banana."

"Hi," she said shyly, hiding most of her body behind the doorway.

Annie reached her hands out to her. "C'mere, sweetie," she said, and she watched as Hannah hesitated for a moment, then ran into Annie's arms.

Annie scooped her up, setting Hannah on her lap, and she snaked her arms around the little girl on her lap protectively. "Can we play another game first?"

Hannah twisted around in Annie's arms, staring up into her eyes. "What game?"

Annie's stomach growled loudly. "Breakfast."

Annie could hear Auggie laughing at her growling stomach next to her, but Hannah scrunched her nose up at Annie. "That game doesn't sound very fun."

Annie laughed. "You can help me make breakfast."

Hannah shrugged. "Okay."

As Annie stood to her feet, lifting Hannah to her hip, she reached down and grabbed Auggie's hand, pulling him with her. As she guided him out the room and insisted on making him an omelet just like she knew he liked, he couldn't help but think about how much he loved sharing his life with Annie.

Clichéd though it sounded, they fit perfectly together, like two pieces of a puzzle.

* * *

Joan Campbell was briefing her small team on the results from the night before when she saw Felix Williams sauntering through her bullpen like he owned the place. Despite Arthur's best intentions, she still wondered what he was thinking. The DPD already had Jai—they didn't need another seventh-floor suit snooping in her business.

"Felix Williams," she called out, her voice catching everyone's attention. They all turned to look. The young man with the English accent and only Armani suits to his name stared right back, his grayish-green eyes assessing her as much as she was him. He folded his arms over his chest as he studied them, coming to a stop at the edge of the little circle. "What can I do for you?"

"Oh, nothing." He nodded to Jai. "I have a message from Arthur to Jai."

Joan squinted at Felix. She'd never quite trusted him. Besides, if Arthur had a message for Jai, he would just meet with him. _What was Felix up to?_

Joan flicked her hand toward them dismissively. She trusted Jai to be able to take care of himself. "Go. I can brief you later, Jai."

He nodded and the two men disappeared around the corner.

Later that night, when Joan had dinner with Arthur, she asked him why he sent Felix to give Jai his message. Arthur just shrugged. "It wasn't my idea. Felix is obsessed about the new girl in the DPD."

Joan frowned. "Elsa?"

Elsa was shy. She worked in tech ops with Bowman and Stu. She was reserved, smart, bookish. Joan couldn't imagine Elsa and Felix would make a good match in any stretch of the imagination. Felix was cocky, proud, saucy, charismatic. Felix did what he wanted, when he wanted, and he always had an ulterior motive. Elsa was sweet. Kind. Demure. The only reason Felix would show any sort of feelings toward someone like Elsa was if he was playing her.

Besides, Elsa had taken a leave of absence for the past _month_ to help her parents move into an elderly care facility. What was Felix up to?

"Yeah. He's smitten." He shrugged. "I was just going to call Jai, or have Lucy call him, anyway, and have him come by, to make sure he's holding up okay with everything. But Felix is always snooping around, looking for some reason to go see Ella—"

"Elsa."

"Elsa, yeah, so I let him. I didn't see the harm. It sounds like someone like Elsa would be good for him."

Yeah, maybe someone like Elsa would be good for Felix, if he really did have feelings for her. Joan wasn't so sure he did. Someone was messing around with her people, and she wanted to know what he was up to.

* * *

Baptiste didn't even wait for anyone to answer his pounding on the door. The front door was unlocked, and Baptiste stormed in. "Niko!"

Usually Baptiste Perrot was a mild-mannered man—everyone could attest to that, even when he was in a bad mood—but this was the last straw. Bill was about to murder them both, and Aurélie said the project was completed, turned over to a professional laboratory for a final test. The date where his very own daughter would turn over the research to the president of the United States was little over a month away, and if that happened, none of them would live to see the light of day. Not Niko, not Alexander, not Baptiste, and especially not Aurélie.

Bill didn't play around.

Baptiste ran into Alexander before he ran into Niko. He almost tripped over the boy, and Alexander ran away, looking almost terrified. "Where's your uncle?"

Alexander shrugged and shook his head, running up the stairs to his room. "I don't know!"

Baptiste snorted and continued on his way, finally stopping when he found Niko Petrakis sitting in his study, surrounded by papers.

"How did you not find anything?" Baptiste demanded. He and Niko were in over their heads here—doing the work of muscle men, not arms dealers—trying to convince their own flesh and blood to give up their hopes and dreams without even a hint of what could happen if they didn't. After Baptiste sent Benoît to follow the Andersons to no avail, he'd convinced Niko to break into their apartment to see what he could find, only Niko said that he hadn't found anything.

They were grasping at straws, here, and he _couldn't_ be grasping at straws. He was Baptiste Perrot, respected arms dealer, but he had no clue what he was dealing with.

"I—I looked! Everywhere! There wasn't anything there!" Niko was angry now. "It's not my fault I couldn't find anything. You're the one freaking out about what they're hiding! There's nothing for them to hide, Perrot! They're just normal people, and you're wasting time! Aurélie is not giving her affections to them instead of you, and the Andersons are not some mastermind-genius sort of couple, trying to bring you down! The Andersons are a regular couple, happy together and in love! You were like that when you first married Liliane, if you remember."

Baptiste sent Niko a long, hard look. Niko had no reason to bring Liliane into the conversation. Liliane did not compare to Anaïs Anderson. Not at all.

"Maybe it's not that there's anything wrong with the Andersons. Maybe it's you that something's wrong with. Stop wasting time, Baptiste! We have little over a month left to get that technology, and you're wasting time suspecting two people who are more innocent than we are guilty. Be a man! Find out where the technology is being stored. Then destroy it. It's that simple!"

Baptiste stared at Niko angrily for one more moment, and then he stalked off. Niko would not get away with bringing up Liliane like that and then accuse Baptiste of being a loony-bin. _That's just not how things work around here._

* * *

"Annieeee!"

Annie poked her head out of the bedroom door of their apartment and laughed. Auggie looked like an impish little child, sitting there on the arm of the couch, tapping his foot impatiently as he waited.

"Ree-lax," she drawled from the doorway. "Just because you can get dressed in 0.2 seconds and look like a model doesn't mean I can look good that fast."

She studied him from the doorway. He _did_ look good in that sage green dress shirt and black dress pants. He'd rolled up his sleeves a little, and she could see the muscles in his forearms when he crossed his arms over his chest.

A slow, cheeky grin inched up the corners of his mouth at her words. "You think I look like a model, huh?"

Her cheeks burned crimson. "No, I didn—that's not—pshh… naw," she finished lamely.

"Annie thinks I look like a super-duper model," he chanted from the couch, beaming back at her.

She groaned, sauntering over to him. She was half-tempted to push him over the edge of the couch. She couldn't help grinning as she imagined his little yelp as he went over, his feet flying in the air. When she glanced up, she saw his smug grin shining back at her, and she rolled her eyes and shoved his chest a little, but not enough to send him flying backwards.

He was cocky and incorrigible and just a little ridiculous sometimes, but he was _her_ cocky, incorrigible, ridiculous Auggie, and she wouldn't trade that for anything.

He reached out, pulling her back before she could escape, and snaked his hand up to find her face, tugging her closer a few seconds before his lips met hers. The kiss was short, sweet, but Annie was grinning like a fool when she pulled away. "I love you," she whispered, like it was the most natural thing to say.

A slow, proud smile lifted the corners of his lips, and his hands, resting lightly on her hips, pulled her a little closer. He loved the feel of Annie in his arms. His thumb caressed her side gently, and his eyes, focused on a point just over Annie's left shoulder, shone with his own love. "Yeah, me, too, baby," he whispered.

It was moments like this that made him in awe—in awe of the fact that the precious, adorable, beautiful, smart, happy, sweet girl in his arms really, truly loved him, in awe of the fact that one impulsive, sleepy moment had brought him so much happiness. He felt like he'd been on a perpetual high since Wednesday, when they'd returned from Cape May.

Annie grinned back at him shamelessly, loving the way his whole demeanor transformed at those three words. She would have been content to stay in his arms for a few more hours, but he'd made a big deal out of this, making sure she knew how much trouble he'd gone to and how perfect their first date would be. Besides, he was all dressed up, and she loved seeing him so excited about this.

She leaned in for another quick kiss, and as she pulled away, she said, "I'll be ready in a few minutes. I promise."

As she retreated to the bedroom, Auggie called after her, "Aww, you're gonna be a super-duper model, too?"

She glanced back at his beaming face, and she laughed and kept walking. When she reached the bedroom, she slipped into her dress—a simple, floral dress that flared just above her hips. It wasn't exactly her style, but it was Anaïs's, and that's about all she had to work off of at the moment.

She touched up her make-up a little and messed with the last few ornery curls. Grabbing her sweater and flipping off the light as she went, she slipped out of the room. "Auggie, are you ready?"

He looked up and his gaze settled somewhere around her left ear. "C'mere," he said, reaching his hand out to her. His hands ghosted up her arms, over her hair, and came to rest on her face, cupping it as he leaned in to kiss her softly. "Now we're both super-duper models."

She giggled and reached for his hand, pressing gently into his side. "C'mon. Let's go."

As they walked out the door and Auggie locked it behind them, he turned to her, his eyes twinkling with mischief, and he whispered, "Are you ready to be mesmerized?"

She snorted and kissed his cheek. "You really need to work on your pick-up lines, Aug."

He grinned back at her. "Who do I need to pick up? I've already got you."

She rolled her eyes for show, but she warmed at his words. Sometimes, Auggie just knew the right things to say.

* * *

Baptiste tiptoed past the bathroom door on his left and the coat rack on his right, covertly peaking into his daughter's room before he tiptoed inside. He'd insisted she have a fun afternoon, at the mall with some of her friends, but one could never be too careful. He wasn't sure who he expected to be in his daughter's room (especially since she was across town shopping with half a dozen other teenagers), but he peaked anyway.

Though Aurélie had agreed, she'd given him a strange, confused look as she stepped out the door, and she promised to return soon. Just what he was afraid of.

As he surveyed the order and cleanliness, he cursed the fact that Aurélie had inherited Liliane's love for order.

He reached for her backpack first. How had he gotten himself into this mess? He'd gone from well-respected (well, at least well-feared) arms dealer to a lousy brunt man, searching through his own daughter's backpack in hopes that he can save all their lives. How had Aurélie even come up with this idea, anyway?

He shuffled through all her books, folders, and notebooks, hoping to find some evidence of where her new technology had gone. Nada.

He moved to her laptop, scouring the files, to the papers in her desk, to the boxes under her bed, with increasing frenzy. It had to be here—it _had_ to be. He wasn't the world's best dad ever—everyone would attest to that—but there was no way he was going to let Bill get to his daughter. They had to make it through this.

He was in the middle of digging through her closet, searching for anything that would remotely relate to physics, bombs, and saving the world, when he heard a car door slam just under Aurélie's bedroom window. _Crap_.

He pushed everything back to where it had been, as best as he could, and he scrambled out of her closet, sliding the door shut, just as his daughter ran up the steps and burst through the door. "Daddy, I'm home!"

_Greaaaat._

Because a mission with no goal, with no solution, was _such_ a wonderful thing.

* * *

**A/N:** Soooo, review please! :)

Ohhh, and again, sorry if there are any grammatical/etc. errors, sorry in advance! I'm literally out the door to leave for vacation right now, but I wanted to post this for you all before I left! :))))


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N:** Salut! :) I figured I should start saying hello in French, instead of Spanish, since there's more of a French influence in this than Spanish… Anywhoo. Hi. :)

I was planning to add this in my author's note for the last chapter, but I kinda forgot. As I was rushing out the door and all. :) Auggie's whole "super duper model" thing was inspired by the finale of an adorable little show that got canceled way too early last summer (100 Questions)—well, at least, I thought so. Haha. Anyway, so one of the girls in that show kept calling supermodels "super duper models" and I thought it was awesome… and though it's pretty out of character for Auggie, I loved the idea of Auggie calling Annie his super duper model. So I included it. :) I figured you might want the backstory. :)

Also, this last scene for this chapter is inspired by a little scene in a book from one of my favorite series of all time, The O'Malley Series, by Dee Henderson. I kinda had to steal it. :)

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Covert Affairs, or The O'Malley Series, and I never have owned 100 Questions… :)

* * *

Chapter 14

Felix sauntered into tech ops mid Tuesday morning. "Hey, boys," he called out, watching with a smirk as they all scrambled around, blacking out screens and hiding files. "What's up in tech ops today?"

"The boys" scowled at him. Joan had given explicit orders to not give anything up to Felix Williams. For field operatives, it might not have been such an arduous task to hide everything from a seventh-floor spook, but it wasn't so easy for the technical support. "Don't you have anything better to do with your time?" Bowman called out, squinting and scowling at Felix at the same time.

If he didn't feel so bad for them, that they were the worst at hiding anything ever, he would have chuckled. Despite himself, he let one chuckle out. "Relax, boys, relax! I'm not here to cause any trouble, honest. Arthur just sent me to apologize if it seemed like I was interrupting, eavesdropping, earlier this month. Didn't mean any harm…"

"If you're looking for someone to apologize to, you should look for Joan," Stu said seriously, his arms crossed over his chest. "Go."

Felix held his hands up in defense. "I'm going, I'm going… Relax!"

They all stared at him when he remained glued to his spot on the floor in the middle of tech ops. "Well… are you gonna leave?" Barber demanded, sending him a look that said _You're the dumbest, craziest, weirdest spook I've ever met in my life…_

Felix jumped in his spot on the floor, as if he had forgotten completely that he was supposed to be leaving. "Oh, righto! Sorry, fellas." He reached behind his back, and took a few steps toward Elsa, sitting at her computer, trying to ignore him. With a flourish, he held a single red rose out to her, bowing low. "Milady." He offered her his best charmer grin, but she only sent him a confused scowl. He winked at her jovially, and with that, Felix Williams was gone.

As Barber, Stu, Bowman, Elsa, and the three other tech ops employees present that day stared at each other in Felix's wake, they couldn't help but come to the same conclusion Joan Campbell had come to only a week earlier: either Felix Williams was insane, or he was up to something.

* * *

Annie glanced up at Auggie with a grin as they walked down the hallway, their clasped hands swinging between them softly. It was moments like these when Annie truly appreciated what she had with Auggie—they had transformed from best friends to in-love oh-so-easily (Okay, minus the whole four months of trying to hide that she was in love with Auggie, but that shouldn't count, right? After all, they were still best friends… and undercover as a married couple. Not all things were easy.), and she loved these moments when they didn't have to say anything or pretend to be anyone. They were just together, in love, and that was perfect.

When they reached the door to the physics lab, Auggie stopped her with a gentle tug and turned her to face him. Reaching up, his hand connected with her cheek, and he leaned in, kissing her sweetly, with just enough passion to make her heart sing. When he pulled away, caressing her cheek lightly, she grinned back at him. "What was that for?"

He shrugged, but he was grinning back at her. He pulled her against his side. "Because I love you," he whispered, tugging her into the room.

Okay, so she really loved his spontaneous kisses and declarations of love, too.

She found an extra seat for Auggie, and they both sat at the teacher's desk. Annie surveyed the room. All fifteen students were present.

Aurélie skipped up to them and said, "Mrs. Anderson, do you mind if I start with an announcement?"

Annie smiled over at Aurélie. "It's fine, sweetie. I think it's 3:30 already, anyway, so go ahead."

Aurélie turned around and cleared her throat expectantly, staring down her fellow students. "Excuse me," she called, and slowly they all quieted down and turned their attention to her. "I have an announcement to make. I just talked to Mr. Hunter at Verity Technology, and he said that they have only one test left to perform on the project, but everything so far has gone very well, and they haven't faced any glitches that need work yet!"

The room burst into applause, and Ari beamed back at them proudly and took her seat.

Annie pulled a notebook and a pen out of the bag she'd had slung over her shoulder. "Okay, so the purpose of this week's meeting is to start deciding what we want to do for the event next month. It will be a Sunday evening, starting at 6:00. We already sent out invitations in January, and people from governments and organizations like the CIA and Scotland Yard and the FBI and Homeland Security are already promising to come. A lot of very important people will be here. The school has budgeted us $5,000 for the evening, so we're going to have to be careful where we spend our money. Is there any ideas you'd like to see at the party?"

For the next hour, the students and Annie and Auggie bounced between elegant and suitable for their attendees and fitting within their budget and something high school students should be expected to come up with. Finally, they settled on finger foods from around the world. One of the student's parents owned a little high-class, exotic restaurant, Zany Delights (in honor, of course, of their son _Zane_), and they were willing to help prepare the food, with the help of their chefs and the students. Since the students were hosting the event, no alcohol would be served, but Aurélie was practically a smoothie expert, and offered to create an elegant, refined smoothie that would fit well with the food offered for the event. Crêpes with strawberries or nutella, tiramisu, fresh fruit, and homemade ice cream would be offered for desert.

Tables would be covered with white silk table cloths, and jasmine and freesias in vases filled with opaque marbles would garnish each table.

As Annie and Auggie watched the students file out of the room at 4:30, chattering about the party, the upcoming gymnastics show, and what movies were coming out this weekend, she couldn't help but smile. When she'd first gone into this mission, she'd expected the awkwardness between her and Auggie that there had been for the first four months, and she'd expected to catch a bad guy, and she'd expected for the mission to go for months on end. She hadn't expected to enjoy being a teacher, and she most definitely hadn't expected to fall in love with these fifteen students who were changing the way the world worked forever.

* * *

Adele Francisco was studying the computer screen in front of her at Verity Technology when it began beeping in front of her furiously. Her eyes widened. They'd been testing the technology Annie and Auggie Anderson had brought them two weeks ago—and were in the final phases of research before the technology would be approved—but they had just finished today's testing. It had been finished for nearly two hours now. So why was it beeping now?

She studied the screen for a moment, ready to write it off as a glitch, when the satellite world image began zeroing in on Europe. She reached over, yanking hard on her partner's dress shirt sleeve. Ethan had his headphones in his ears—was probably listening to Gwyneth Paltrow again, like he always did—and he was drumming his fingers absentmindedly on the countertop.

When he didn't respond, she tapped his arm and shook it insistently, shouting, "Ethan!"

Finally, he got the picture and pulled one of the headphones out of his ears. "_What_, Addy?"

Okay. Maybe she deserved that. She was known around Verity as the overzealous, easily excited newbie. But this wasn't making a mountain of a molehill. This was _something_. She knew it.

She insistently gestured at the screen. "_Look!_"

Ethan's eyes widened as the screen narrowed to northern Europe, numbers computing and trailing down the left side of the computer screen. "Is that—" he whispered, his voice dropping off in awe.

"There's a bomb." Saying it made it too real. Adele Francisco was a science _analyst_, not someone who battled bombs. What in the world was she supposed to do with this? "There's a bomb! Oh, you've got to be kidding me, there's really a bomb!" She sucked in quick, nervous breaths. "Ethan, there's a bomb, there's a bomb, it's a real, live bomb…"

Ethan reached out and gripped her shoulders, shaking them. "Addy! _Addy!_ ADELE!"

Ethan never called her Adele. She trembled a little as she replied. "Wh-what?"

"Relax. Deep breaths. Deep breaths…"

She'd started to, really, she thought she was, when the numbers on the left half of the screen stopped, and the words "Bomb Detonated" flashed across the picture of Europe, and Adele didn't know she could be so afraid.

As she stared at the blinking screen, fear for those people gripping her heart, all she could manage to think was _God, let there not be any people in that building…_

* * *

"Joan." Jai didn't even wait for Joan to look up from her computer screen. "Joan, turn on the news."

She usually would have met such an order with a steely gaze and an _"Absolutely not"_, especially coming from Jai, but he held a seriousness in his voice that she didn't question. She glanced up at him quickly as she reached for the remote control, flipping to the closest news channel.

She stopped cold when she saw the footage of a burning building. The words _Bill Strikes Europe Again_ scrolled across the bottom of the screen, and the reporter was saying, "…you know, Tess, Europe has been expecting Bill's next attack, but no one was expecting Amsterdam to be hit…"

She turned to Jai. "Amsterdam?" _Why hadn't they known about this?_

Jai's expression was bleak. "Yeah. That's not all." He spun a newspaper onto her desk, folded over to a page with a small paragraph circled.

Though she'd made a point of learning four languages in their entireties, and the most important words and phrases of several others, German had never been her strong suit. "What does it say?"

"America, welcome to Europe's world in one month. Kindest regards, Bill," Jai quoted, anger flashing in his eyes.

As Joan reached for her telephone, she said tersely, not bothering to look up at Jai, "Gather everyone in the conference room. Meeting in fifteen."

Before she could dial the number for Arthur's office, Jai was already out the door. Despite the grimness of the situation, Joan grinned, just a little.

There was a reason she'd liked Jai enough to keep him in the DPD these past three years.

* * *

Annie glanced into the gymnasium and stilled when she saw Auggie bouncing a basketball to Aurélie. She'd been looking for him, all over the school. It was four o'clock, and school was out for the weekend. Usually, that meant they left school early, but when Annie had dropped by the library nearly half an hour ago, the library's lights were off, the door was locked, and Auggie was nowhere in sight. After she'd searched out his favorite haunts—and hers, in case he had gone in search of her—she'd started to check every random room she could think of, which was how she'd found herself here. What was Auggie doing in the gym? And how could he possibly figure out how to get the ball in the basketball net?

Upon further inspection, Annie discovered that they had attached some sort of buzzer to the hoop. Aurélie coached him to better aim toward the net, but most of Auggie's success was due to some (apparently _amazing_) basketball skills Auggie had acquired long ago.

Annie leaned against the door, smiling as she watched him. She loved to watch him interact with Aurélie—it was a completely different side of him that she'd never seen before last December.

After watching them for a few minutes, she slipped into the gym and closed the door behind her. She curled up next to Aurélie's backpack and Auggie's keys and sweatshirt, deposited on the bleachers. Usually she would have just asked him if he was almost ready to go, but it was Aurélie, and Auggie was adorable with Aurélie. Besides, she was sleepy, and maybe she could catch a quick nap while they practiced. She tucked his sweatshirt under her head, turning and burying her nose in the soft fabric. It smelled just like Auggie—strong, masculine, musky.

Ari bounced the ball back to Auggie, and he caught it, tucking it under his arm as he turned toward the bleachers, where Annie was. "Hey, baby."

She grinned back at him. "Hi." She yawned. "I'm protecting your stuff for you."

He gave her a sweet, intimate grin—the one he only flashed at her—and winked before he turned back towards the basketball court and shot the ball through the hoop. "Okay," he teased. "Save it from the bad guys."

As Aurélie and Auggie returned to their practice, Annie slowly fell asleep, dreaming, once again, about Auggie and happily-ever-after.

An hour later, Aurélie guided Auggie over to where Annie lay on the bleachers. "She's sleeping," Aurélie whispered. She began to giggle. "Mr. Anderson, did you know your wife makes kissy faces in her sleep?"

Auggie bit back a snicker. "No, I didn't… Ari, can you lead me to her?"

She tugged on his arm, pulling him down so he was crouching next to Annie. "Her head's right… here," she said, placing his hand on the bleacher just a few inches in front of her face. "I'm gonna go change in the locker room. I'll be back in about ten minutes, okay?"

Auggie nodded and waited for the sound of Aurélie's retreating footsteps. When he didn't hear them anymore, he turned back to Annie, stroking her cheek softly, and whispered, "Annie… hey, baby, c'mon. It's time to wake up."

When she made that adorable sound that was a mix between a sleepy grunt and a prolonged yawn, he grinned. She was awake. She always made that noise every time she woke up. "Hey, baby."

She rubbed her eyes and stared back at him. "Hi."

He stroked her cheek once more and leaned in, capturing her lips in a sweet, slow kiss. She kissed him back, hesitantly at first, but when he went to pull away, she reached out, wrapping her arm around his neck, tugging him back to her. Grinning, he obliged and deepened the kiss. She tasted like blueberries and crème. Her fingers tangled themselves into his hair, and she tugged him closer still, moaning softly into his mouth.

When she pulled away, breathing heavily, she buried her face in his chest. He grinned, rubbing her back gently. After a few moments, she looked up at him, and he cupped her cheek, caressing it lightly with his thumb, before he leaned forward, kissing her forehead gently. "Sometimes you astound me, Annie Walker," he whispered, a gentle, teasing smile lighting his face.

She grinned back at him, sitting up slowly. "Yeah, well, you take my breath away, so I think we're just about even."

He warmed at her words and was about to say something equally witty and sweet when he heard his sweatshirt being moved around. "Are you wearing my sweatshirt?"

She beamed up at him and kissed him quickly. "Yep." She spun to her feet, pocketing his keys, and reached down, pulling him up to his feet.

Before she could ask if he was ready, Ari appeared in the doorway and hollered across the gym, "Are you too love birds ready to go yet?" She tapped her foot and sent them a teasing grin. Annie turned to Auggie with a question on her face.

"Oh, yeah," he said sheepishly, shrugging. "We're taking Ari home."

Annie rolled her eyes and laughed, tugging on Auggie's hand, already wrapped protectively around her own. "Okay, okay, c'mon. It's not like I don't have any French exams to grade or anything…" she teased.

As they walked toward the main entrance for the gym, Auggie bumped Annie's shoulder and gave her a mysterious grin. "So, I hear you make kissy faces in your sleep."

Annie's eyes widened. "What, no…"

"Shhh," Auggie laughed, pressing a kiss to her temple. "Just makes you more perfect, that's all."

The three of them ascended the stairs, and when they reached the main entrance to the gym, Annie noticed a certain familiar dark-haired, dark-skinned friend of theirs. "Hey, Jai."

He grinned over at her. "Hey, Annie, Auggie."

Auggie nodded to him silently, and Jai said, "Oh, by the way, Annie, I have a message for you from Joanna."

Joanna? Who was Jo—then it clicked. Just like they referred to Danielle as Elle in public, Joan was Joanna. "Oh?" Annie said. She handed the car keys to Auggie. "Here—you and Ari go on ahead to the car. I'll be right there."

Aurélie ushered Auggie toward the parking lot, and Annie turned to Jai. Frowning, she said, "So, what does Joanna want?"

He shook his head. "Not here. Joanna's coming over for dinner, though. You and Auggie should come."

"I think we can make it," Annie said, checking the hall around her for guests. "We just have to drop off Ari first."

Jai nodded. "Did you hear about the explosion in Amsterdam?"

She nodded. "Yeah." She glanced down the hallway again. "One of the analysts from Verity Technology picked up the explosion just before it went off."

Jai's eyes widened in surprise, and Annie nodded. "Yeah. Tell Viv and Joanna that we'll be there soon. And say hi to the girls for me."

Jai grinned at the thought of his girls. "Will do. We'll see you in a little bit."

Annie nodded and walked out the door. In some ways, she couldn't wait for this mission to be over. This was getting out of control.

* * *

**A/N:** Review, please!


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N:** Hola! Sorry for the inordinate amount of time between this chapter and the last chapter (well, it feels like an inordinate amount of time, anyway!). But in my defense, it's a REALLY long chapter, and I had a hard time getting it started. I really wanted to post this a few hours before tonight's episode (ah-mazing, btw!), but it just didn't work that way…

Also, sorry if the subject matter of this chapter seemed a little abrupt—but really, we all knew Jai and Vivian were engaged, and that they'd get married sometime or another! :) And I definitely wanted them to get married before everything was concluded and the dust settled.

And this is the chapter that earns the "T" rating… Yeah, if you liked it, don't expect a lot more. bahaha. I don't like writing hot-and-heavy.

Oooh, and… the little thing with Arthur… TOTALLY based on part of the CA panel of Comic Con I saw online a couple days ago… :)

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Covert Affairs! Oh, and I don't own the lyrics for the song in the Joan and Arthur scene, either. They belong to Secondhand Serenade. :)

* * *

Chapter 15

Annie was washing the dishes with Auggie when the knock came to their apartment door. She glanced down at both of them, and with a snicker, she realized they'd flung more soap suds around the apartment (and at each other) than they'd kept in the sink.

Auggie's gaze shifted from the direction of the front door to Annie, and she grinned as she studied him. His curly hair was mussed a little, and he had wet splotches all over his sweatpants and tee-shirt where the soap had soaked into his clothing.

She took a few steps closer to him, closing the distance, and she wiped the bubbles from his nose with her thumb, giggling. Leaning in a few inches, she kissed him quickly. "I'll be right back. Can you manage not to get all the bubbles on the floor while I'm gone?"

"Oh, har."

But his eyes twinkled back at her, and he winked in her direction, and she laughed as she pulled the front door open. "Hey, Viv," she called in surprise.

Vivian grinned in reply. "Hey, you."

Annie held the door open wide. "Come in." As Vivian stepped through the doors, Annie asked, "Are you thirsty?"

Vivian shook her head and sat at one of the bar stools at the island. "Hey, Auggie."

He turned to face her for a moment, a fork he was washing in hand. "Oh, hey, Vivian."

Annie leaned against the counter across from Vivian. "So what brings you out here, anyway? And where are the girls?"

Vivian glanced out the window. "My last dress fitting." She grinned like this was the happiest moment in her life, and Annie couldn't help thinking that maybe, someday, Annie could be right where Vivian was, at this moment. The thought made her heart flutter. "Jai has the girls."

Annie's eyes twinkled as she studied Vivian. Annie had listened and watched for the past four months while Viv dealt with wedding woes and catastrophes, and seeing Vivian like this, so happy, so ready to be Jai's wife—she couldn't help but share in her friend's joy.

"So, only a week, huh?"

Vivian beamed back at her. "Oh, I know! I'm so excited! Annie, you should just _see_ Hannah in her little white dress—she's the cutest little thing ever. And I saw Jai in a tux he had to wear for something he had to do for work—Annie, you should have seen him… he was so _hot_—" She paused to grab a few M&Ms from the bowl in front of her and popped it into her mouth. Her eyes twinkling, she said, "I can't wait to see him Sunday morning—he's being so stubborn. He _won't_ let me see him in the wedding tux—he says I have to wait until Sunday morning—'I'm not gonna jinx the perfect bride, baby,' he keeps on saying, which is perfectly adorable, but I'm just tired of waiting, Annie, I mean, he proposed in July for crying out loud, and it's almost been a year that we've been engaged, and I just want to be Vivian Wilcox al-stinkin'-ready!"

Auggie turned away from the sink to smirk at her, and Annie laughed at them both. "Awww," Annie cooed.

Vivian blushed. "I just want to be married already," she said softly, ducking her head in embarrassment.

Annie grinned and patted Vivian's hand. "Well, you will be in a week."

She smiled softly. "Yeah. I will." She popped another M&M in her mouth, and, mid-bite, her eyes widened, and she exclaimed, "Oh, Annie!"

Annie frowned at her friend. "Yeah, Viv?"

"I can't believe I forgot! That's the whole reason I came over!"

Annie grinned and rolled her eyes. "Well, Viv, what is it?"

She glanced from Annie to Auggie. "Well, uh, would you guys mind watching Hannah and Bella Sunday night?"

Annie frowned at her slightly. "You guys didn't find someone to watch the girls while you go on your honeymoon?"

Vivian's gaze dropped to her hands. "Jai's too freaked out about the Baptiste thing to leave the girls for very long. I thought, maybe if we got you or Joan and Arthur or something to watch them for a week, we could go somewhere nice… but Jai says the case is almost over, and he gets so scared sometimes, Annie… if you could just see him… it breaks my heart."

She glanced up at Annie for a moment, her sadness evident on her face. "I finally convinced him to go away for just one night, our wedding night, if I could get someone he trusted to watch Hannah and Bella." She smiled a little, thinking about Jai. "I think once he agreed to it, he kinda got excited about it. You should see him now. He walks around the house with this Cheshire grin on his face, and he always asks me these questions, like, 'Guess where I'm gonna be in a week?' just so he can grin and tell me that he can't tell me yet… I don't think I've seen him this excited about anything in a long time."

Auggie drained the water in the sink and rinsed his hands, drying them on the hand towel hanging from the handle of one of the cabinets directly under the sink. Wandering over to the island where he'd heard Annie last, he leaned on the counter, sneaking several of the M&Ms for himself. He bumped Annie's shoulder with his own, and, before he could think to ask if Annie was okay with the idea, he said, "Sure, we'll take them. It's only one night, right?"

As Annie and Vivian gawked at him in surprise, he shrugged. "What? I'm not a little-girl hater. Besides. I'm pretty sure Hannah adores me." His eyes twinkled, and he flashed them his charmer grin.

Annie rolled her eyes, shoving his arm a little, but she grinned over at Vivian. "Yeah, we'd love to, Viv."

She watched with a smile as Vivian ran around the island and embraced them both. "Thankyouthankyouthankyou!" she squealed. "I—I have to get home, but thank you so much. I'll work on coming up with a list of anything you might need to know for the girls."

As she flew out the door, her purse trailing behind her, Annie laughed and turned to Auggie, slipping her arms around his waist, she tugged him closer and met his lips in a sweet kiss. "Aww, Auggie wants to be a daddy."

He snorted. "Yeah, don't get too used to that idea." But his eyes twinkled, and as he leaned down, capturing her lips in a deeper, more passionate kiss, she caught a glimpse of the grin playing on his lips a moment before her eyes fluttered shut. She grinned as she kissed him back, relishing in the feeling of Auggie's strong arms around her again.

* * *

Annie leaned down and wrapped her arms around Auggie's neck. "Hi."

He glanced up at the sound of her voice, and he offered her a grin. "Hey, babe," he said, turning a little so she was more directly in front of him. It always touched her, the way he faced her when she talked to him, even though he couldn't see her.

His hands lingered on her arms, holding her lightly, and she turned to glance at his computer screen. "What are you doing?"

He turned toward the computer screen for a second, before turning back to her. He shrugged. "Not much. Just following up on a few things from dinner with Joan and Jai last week."

Auggie unconsciously rubbed her forearm gently, and Annie smiled softly as she watched him. She wondered if he recognized those sweet little gestures he showed her throughout the day. She loved him for it.

She studied his screen a bit more seriously. It looked like he was setting up an appointment at Verity Technology. They'd received a call on Wednesday that the testing would be done by Monday afternoon. They both knew that Joan—and the rest of the intelligence community—were interested in the technology, especially after Bill's threat to come to America, and they were eager to have it back in their hands.

She glanced back up at the clock by the door. "I'm taking Viv out to dinner," she said, studying him. "She's been going crazy all week about the wedding, and I think she just needs a break."

"Awww, you're leaving me?"

She laughed lightly at his teasing question. "I'll only be gone a few hours. Besides, I left you stir fry in the fridge."

His eyes lit up, and she laughed. "Yeah, I know the only reason you keep me around is for your stir fry cache."

He rolled his eyes and sent her a look. "That's not true…"

She giggled and leaned in, kissing him lightly. "I'll be back in a little bit." As she walked to the door, she called over her shoulder, "Don't burn the apartment down while I'm gone!"

The door slammed behind her, and as Auggie turned back to his computer, he smirked.

* * *

Annie hummed softly to herself as she slipped her key into the apartment doorknob and pushed the door open. She was surprised by what met her as she stepped into the apartment.

She'd expected Auggie to be watching the evening news, or messing around with his laptop still, or possibly even in bed already (it _was_ nearly 10:30, and he had been complaining about a headache earlier).

Instead, she found the kitchen table covered with a silk table cloth; a few slender maroon candles setting on the table, the flicker of their flames casting a romantic glow over the room; a platter with some fancy-looking bread and a bowl of extra virgin olive oil. None of the lamps or overhead lights were turned on, but several thicker candles, the same color as those on the table, were lit strategically around the kitchen and family room areas. A single red rose waited at the spot where she typically ate whenever they were home, and Auggie stood behind the island, fidgeting nervously. "Hi."

She hung her purse on the hook by the door, never tearing her gaze from Auggie's. "Hi."

She took a few steps toward him, and he met her halfway. "I know you're probably already full, and maybe tired from hanging out with Viv all night, but… I wanted us to have something special this week, too. You've been putting up with all of Vivian's pre-wedding jitters, and dealing with the guest list and worrying about everything being perfect for when you have to greet all the guests Sunday morning… I know we're not getting married, but I figured you should have your own romantic moment."

_Aww_. She could have squealed at his thoughtfulness. She loved it when those warm chocolate eyes seemed to focus on her, especially when he was being so sweet. She let her left hand come to rest against the smooth fabric of his white dress shirt covering his chest, and she pushed up on her tiptoes, pressing her lips to his. Before she could pull away, give him an excuse for the kiss, he reached up, curling his warm hand around her own, still lingering on his chest. His other hand slid up, cupping behind her neck gently, and he kissed her back, tasting her slowly, completely. The kiss was sweetly emotional, and when he pulled away, she immediately missed the feel of his lips on hers. She stared up at him, trying to find one coherent thought.

Okay, so Auggie definitely did more than take her breath away.

He leaned down a few inches, bumping his forehead against hers sweetly, and the hand cupping her neck felt its way forward, cupping her cheek, caressing it lightly. As she stood there, right next to him, she stared up into his chocolate eyes, studying him quietly.

"So I did good?" he said with a cocky grin.

She was tempted to snort or roll her eyes—everyone knew she didn't have to build his already monstrous ego—but she couldn't help it. He was just so… _perfect_. Pressing up on her tiptoes once more, she kissed him softly. "Yeah. You did good."

His hand that had been holding hers to his chest dropped to their sides, and he guided them to the table, pulling out the chair for Annie. He took his seat next to her, and when she lifted the rose to her nose, smelling it with a soft smile, he found her hand and squeezed it gently. "I know you like lilies better… but everyone says roses are more stunning and romantic, and well…"

She giggled softly. "It's fine, Auggie," she said, leaning across the corner of the table to kiss him. "I love it."

Auggie poured them the wine, and, while she took her first sip, he cut a few slices of the baguette. He handed her a slice and pushed the small bowl of olive oil towards her. "I know you and Viv probably had a big dinner, but if today is anything like the past four months, I figured you'd be hungry anyway."

She laughed lightly at his words and she tasted the bread, humming in satisfaction. "Mmm. This is good."

Auggie smirked to himself at the lack of comment on his observation of her eating habits. It seemed like Annie was always hungry—_always_. He listened as she dipped her bread in the oil and ate it happily, and, after a moment, he reached over, tasting the bread and oil for himself. It _was_ good.

For the following hour or so, they talked about their families, life outside this mission, and how much Annie missed her nieces. Annie teased him about his aversion to most things French, and Auggie shared secrets with her that he'd never told anyone. When there was a slight lull in the conversation, Annie glanced up at Auggie, studying him intently.

She knew it probably wasn't the best idea, but it had been bugging her for the past couple weeks, ever since Auggie had admitted he loved her, and her curiosity couldn't take it much longer. "Auggie?"

He swallowed the last of his bread and washed it down with a sip of his wine. "Yeah?"

She reached across the table, entwining their hands. "When did you know you loved me?"

"When did you know you loved _me_?" he countered, a teasing grin dancing on his lips.

She grinned back at him and nudged his hand, resting in hers. "Nuh-uh. You first."

He sighed a little and caressed the back of her hand with his thumb, leaning back in his chair as he figured out what he wanted to say. A smile played on his lips as he remembered back to a few weeks ago. "Remember when Simon Henzel was pretty much attacking you every day, a couple weeks ago?"

She grimaced at him. She still wasn't on the best of terms with Simon, and she'd rather not think about it, if she didn't have to. She'd always felt like she could stand up for herself if she had to—and she would—but no one took pleasure in dealing with Simon's bitter tirades, least of all Annie.

Auggie must have felt her hand stiffen in his, because he scooted his chair closer to hers and let his hand trail up her arm, cupping her cheek, and he captured her lips with his. "Remember that one day that I was there? You told him that he was a bully and a poor excuse for a Christian teacher, and that there was a reason nobody liked him very much… and as I stood there, listening to you, I just knew. I don't know why I figured it out then, but you were so adorable, standing up for yourself, with that little half-French accent, and I knew." He tucked a strand of her sunny hair behind her ear, and kissed her softly. "It took me a week or two to gather enough courage to try and tell you, but you kinda beat me to it."

She giggled in his arms, and he loved the sound. He loved that giggle. He felt her hands move to his cheeks, caressing them lightly. She stared up into his chocolate eyes. "I love you."

He gave her that intimate smile she loved so much, and, letting his forehead come to rest against hers, he whispered, "I love you, too." He nudged her arm lightly. "Your turn."

She studied him curiously, as if she'd forgotten. "My turn for what?"

He chuckled. "Your turn to tell me when you knew you loved me."

She blushed a little, and ducked her head. "December," she said, barely loud enough for him to hear.

"December?" he squeaked out. _Had he really heard her right?_ Not waiting for an answer, he reached for her, crashing his lips on hers with a passion he didn't know he had. He made sure she knew exactly how he felt, kissing her fully, deeply, tasting every part of her. The passion built between them with each second, and Auggie kissed her back more passionately. His desire for her was unquenchable, and he _needed_ her to know how much he loved her.

When she groaned in frustration at the odd angles of their bodies and the distance that separated them, Auggie reached out, pulling her onto his lap, as close as was physically possible, her legs straddling him.

He blazed a trail of hot kisses down her neck, finding her sensitive spot on her neck, and when she moaned out his name like a plea, that settled it for him. He loved this sweet woman more than anyone in the world, and _not_ sharing this moment with her wasn't even an option. "Annie—you know… I love you more than anything in the world, right? I love you…" he rasped, his voice husky from desire.

She kissed him back, hard, igniting his passion, and when she pulled away, she nodded furiously. "I know." He silently thrilled at the desire barely masked in her own voice.

He captured her lips again, unable to keep away from her, and his arms snapped around her, pulling her to her feet. His lips never left hers as he stood to his feet and backtracked around the chair and table, guiding her back to the bedroom. His hands fell to her hips, playing with the hem of her blouse even as he held her up—he'd felt her stumble against him once when she went weak at the knees. His hands played with the soft, warm skin of her lower back.

When they reached the bedroom, and the backs of Annie's knees hit the bed, she scooted farther up onto the bed, reaching out to pull him with her. He bumped his shin on the wooden frame of the bottom of the bed, and Annie giggled and tugged at his shirt.

He groped his leg in the darkness, rubbing the spot on his shin that still throbbed, and he pulled away from Annie slightly. _What was he doing?_

This was _Annie_. What happened to taking it slow? What happened to falling in love perfectly? He breathed deeply and shook his head subtly. "Annie—I… I can't."

He heard her flip on the overhead light, and he could only imagine the emotions warring for dominance on her face. "Auggie, what are you talking about?"

"I—I don't think we should."

"Auggie—I can see it in your eyes. You want this as much as I do. What are you talking about?" she pled.

He desperately wanted to pull her into his arms, convince her that he _did_ want this as much as she did. He desperately wanted to prove it to her. But he knew that as soon as he touched her, his well-meaning high-road would be thrown to the breeze. "Annie, I—" He let his eyes flutter shut, trying to figure out how to tell her everything he was feeling. "I love you. Like crazy. But I don't want this to be a quick fling in some deep cover op that ends up in shambles."

"_We_ won't end up in shambles."

"I've seen it too much, Annie. I've seen too many couples die because they fell in love during an op. I won't do that to you."

"But—Auggie, I love you. I loved you even before I knew there _was_ an op."

His heart broke at that. "I—I know, baby."

"So why won't you come to bed with me?"

"Because I love you. And I'd do anything to make sure that what we have lasts forever."

Her heart fluttered a little at that, but still—didn't he realize what he was doing to her?

"D-do you think you can wait a month?" he asked shakily. "There's only 27 days until the event. Then the mission will be over, and we can be free to love each other… however we want."

Annie didn't want to think about what would happen if the mission wasn't over by then. She missed Danielle, Michael, and the girls. She missed being Annie Walker. Most of all, she didn't know if she could wait more than 27 days to be with Auggie, the way they both wanted. "Wh-what if the mission's not over by then?"

Auggie was silent for a while. "Even if it isn't," he started slowly, "I can't make you wait longer than that, okay?" _I don't think _I_ can wait longer than that…_

It was already killing her that she'd have to wait that long. But if it would prove to him how real what they had was, then she was committed to it. "Okay," she whispered, her voice sounding pained.

He finally let himself lean in, stroking her cheek gently. He kissed her forehead. "I—I'm gonna sleep on the couch tonight."

As she watched him leave the room, feeling his way down the hallway, she turned off the light and crawled under the covers. As she stared out the window, watching the dancing stars twinkle over the world, she sighed.

She was already counting down the hours.

* * *

"Annie, Annie! Come quick!" Tess ran into the foyer, where Annie was greeting guests and encouraging them to sign the wedding guestbook. "Vivi says it's an emergency!"

Annie glanced from Tess back to Auggie, sitting in the pew behind her. Ever since Auggie had put a stop to Thursday night's activities (minus a slightly awkward breakfast the next morning), he hadn't let her out of his sight. At first it annoyed her, but she'd grown to love doting Auggie. It was sweet—almost as if he was trying to make up for making her wait.

Both she and Auggie knew that no matter what Vivian's emergency was, there was no way it was a life-or-death matter. She'd been having such "emergencies" all week, and Annie was always the one Viv turned to when she needed answers and reassurance. She reached back, her hand trailing down Auggie's forearm until she held his hand. "You gonna be okay for a few minutes?"

He swung their hands between them lightly and caressed her hand lightly, as if he really didn't want her to go. "I'll be fine."

The corners of her lips turned up in an unwitting smile, and she leaned down, brushing her lips against his in a brief smile. "I'll hurry." As she hurried after Tess, heading toward the classroom in the church that was also serving as Vivian's dressing room, she called over her shoulder, "Don't forget to get them to sign the guestbook!"

As she turned to glance back at him, she caught his image, standing at the platform, greeting a middle-aged couple as they signed the guestbook and took a bulletin, and she smiled to herself.

When Annie peaked in the door, Vivian was squinting at herself in the mirror, scowling at herself, looking this way and that to try and see her back. "Annie!" she wailed out.

Annie tried to hold her giggle back. She knew that wedding jitters got to women, but Vivian had become comical in her stress. "Yeah, Viv?"

Vivian finally slumped into one of the chairs that was meant for a six-year-old. "This dress makes me look fat!"

Annie laughed and rushed to her friend's side. "You? Fat? In that? Liar." She reached for Vivian's hands, pulling her to her feet. "Stand up. Let me see." She motioned for her friend to spin, so she could see the whole dress.

Once Vivian spun around once completely, she let her shoulders slump in defeat. "See? It bunches up in the back, and it's too tight in the butt, and look, the pleats for the boobs are in the wrong place!" She pinched some of the lacy white fabric at her stomach, pulled it out, and let it snap back into place. "And look! My stomach shows too much!"

Annie rolled her eyes and she pushed slightly on her friend's shoulder, turning her around. "Viv, I think you're making things up. It's not too tight in your stomach _or_ your butt, and the wrinkles—" She paused to brush the material on Vivian's back, smoothing it out. "Are a figment of your imagination. And I don't know what you're taking about for the boob thing, you look great."

She turned Vivian around again, grasping her shoulders, and Annie looked straight into her eyes. "Viv, listen to me. You're _beautiful_. You look like a model in this dress, and if Jai knows anything that's good for him, he'll faint the moment he sees you holding your dad's arm! You take his breath away," Annie said with a soft smile.

A little bit of hope dawned in Vivian's eyes. "Really? You think so, Annie?"

Annie sighed. "Honey, do you think he'd be marrying you if you didn't take his breath away? He's _crazy_ about you. You should have seen him before he fell for you—he was still Jai, this great, honorable, gentlemanly guy with loads of class and respect—but he was also moody sometimes, and oh-so-lonely. Jai's nothing without you."

Vivian threw her arms around Annie. "Thank you, Annie."

She smiled, hugging her friend in return. "Don't worry about it. Really. Viv, don't worry about it. I'm just glad I got to see you again, even if it wasn't the best of circumstances."

Vivian shook her head against Annie's neck and shoulder. "No, no… you don't understand. Annie, I don't think I could have gotten through this week without you."

Annie pulled away from the hug a little bit, offering Vivian a reassuring smile. "Sure you would have, sweetie. You're made of tough stuff."

Vivian ducked her head in embarrassment, and Annie squeezed her hand. "Hurry up, okay? I think it's almost three, and I'm pretty sure Auggie'll freak out if I'm gone for more than a few minutes."

Vivian grinned knowingly. "Go. I'll be okay."

Annie grinned in return. "Okay. Good luck in here!"

* * *

Annie slipped into the pew next to Auggie. "Hey, did I miss anything?"

Auggie turned toward her and shook his head. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders, and she snuggled a little big closer to him, letting her head drop to his shoulder. It gave her the perfect view of the front of the church, but she loved more the way his arm around her felt, and the way she could still smell the heady combination of his cologne and aftershave.

A moment later, the string quartet and the organ began to play Pachelbel's Canon in D Major, and Annie's head shot up, craning to see if Vivian and her dad were coming down the aisle.

She grinned as she watched Vivian take a step forward. Somehow, in the past half hour, Vivian had gained some confidence, and she was positively glowing. The strapless, floor length gown was covered with soft, elegant white lace and flared at the waist. The back was simple, with about twenty little buttons, in quick succession, trailing down her back. A simple dusty purple sash was tied in the back. Vivian was grinning—not at the congregation or her father, or even her girls (even Annie, in one of the middle pews, could hear Hannah hissing, "Mommy! Mommy, you look like a princess!"), but at Jai.

Jai, fidgeting with his cufflinks, stared back at her, a slow, nervous grin covering his face. And if Annie wasn't mistaken, she could have sworn she saw tears forming in his eyes. When Vivian's dad announced that he and his wife were giving Vivian to be married and she stepped up onto the platform with Jai, he reached out his hand to her, taking her hand in his, and he stroked her hand gently. Wonder shining in his eyes, he whispered, "Baby, you look like an angel."

The wedding passed comfortably through the sermon (something about the marriage of Esther and King Artaxerxes), a prayer, the vows, exchanging the rings, and finally the lighting of the candle together, and when the pastor announced, "It is my pleasure to announce today for the first time, Mr. and Mrs. Jai Wilcox!" Annie sat up in her seat, craning her neck for the best view.

Turning to Auggie for a moment, she grinned. "This is the best part." She leaned across his lap a little, trying to find the best view.

"You may now kiss the bride."

Jai carefully lifted the veil covering Vivian's face, and, love and tenderness shining in his eyes, he whispered, "Vivi, I love you."

Tears filling Vivian's eyes—again—she nodded furiously. Jai leaned in, caressing her cheek lightly with his hand, and he captured her lips with his own. Vivian pushed up on her tiptoes, using her hand on his forearm as leverage to hold her up, and she returned the kiss, grinning against his lips. When she pulled away after a moment, he pulled her back, pressing another brief, passionate kiss to her lips. "I love you."

Vivian buried her face in Jai's chest self-consciously, wrapping her arms around his waist, and Jai wrapped his arms around her, letting her hide against him. He rubbed her back soothingly, and when the room erupted into applause, he hid his own grin in Vivian's soft blond tresses, kissing her softly.

As Vivian and Jai, along with the rest of the wedding party, marched down the aisle, Annie gushed, "Aww, that was so perfect… They're just so adorable together!"

Even as Auggie grinned back at her and they chatted about different aspects to the wedding, Annie couldn't help wondering if she could have a perfect wedding of her own in a little while.

* * *

Joan wrapped her arms around Arthur's neck after he led her to an open spot on the dance floor. His hands settled on her hips, and she leaned against him, resting her head on his shoulder. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw familiar faces—Stu, Barber, Bowman, Jai and Vivian—dancing across the reception hall.

She closed her eyes, listening to the music and pushing the world away. She had missed this, the sweetness of dancing in the arms of the man she loved.

She relaxed against him, playing with the hair at the nape of his neck. He was wearing that cologne that she'd always loved, and she grinned into the shoulder of his dress shirt when he began to sing to her softly in that smooth, soft, intimate baritone that still gave her shivers. "But hold your breath, because tonight will be the night that I will fall for you over again…" His voice cracked a little at the word _tonight_, and Joan buried her face farther into Arthur's chest. She didn't know how they'd been given so much happiness, but she wouldn't trade it for the world.

"I love it when you sing to me."

Arthur pulled back a little to look her in the eyes. "Oh, you want me to stop?" he teased, his eyes twinkling back at her with mischief and love.

She frowned at him for a moment and slapped his shoulder lightly. Satisfied that he would get the message, she wrapped her arms around him, snuggling close to him again. Arthur's laughter echoed in her ears, and she grinned into his shirt again.

The silence lingered between them comfortably for several minutes. Then, in the faintest whispers of a kiss, Arthur's lips ghosted over her temple, and he whispered in her ear, "Joan, you look absolutely stunning today."

She blushed a little, and she was glad her face was hidden against his chest. She didn't need half of the DPD to see the way this man could turn her from a professional, commanding boss to… whatever it was Arthur did to her. She refused to call herself _mushy_. "You already told me that, this morning," she teased, waiting for his reply.

"Well, I told you looked _beautiful_ this morning, not absolutely stunning. But it warranted repeating, anyway."

She was glad that most of the DPD employees weren't paying attention to her, because she was sure her face was the color of a ripe tomato.

After she regained some of her composure, she looked over Arthur's shoulder, studying the other dancers out of curiosity, and she caught a glance of Felix Williams dancing with Elsa Benjamin. Elsa looked incredibly uncomfortable. "Arthur," Joan asked, her voice hinting with her growing suspicion, anger, and disbelief, "what's Felix doing here?"

Arthur turned them around so he could see what she'd been seeing, and, sure enough, there was Felix, chatting off Elsa's ear amiably, apparently unaware of her discomfort. "Beats me," he said, shrugging a little. "Jai must have invited him. They've been a bit chummy lately."

As Arthur spun them around again, Joan squinted at the young man. She wasn't sure what he was up to, but she didn't like it.

She didn't like it at all.

* * *

Across the floor, Auggie had just swept Annie onto the dance floor, his eyes twinkling back at her, she slipped into his arms and resting her head on his chest. Though she generally preferred to wear heals (she sorely missed her Christian Louboutins that she'd had to leave at the guesthouse in early December), today she'd settled for a pair of lacy white ballet flats that matched the knee-length purple sundress and white bolero she was wearing.

The flats brought her down a few inches, which made her the perfect height to be cocooned in Auggie's arms. His arms were strong and protective around her, and she let herself settle into his embrace. The last time they'd danced together, it had been early December, when they'd first started the mission, and things were a lot different. This time, she let herself relax in his arms, and she breathed in his scent, memorizing this moment, his cologne, the feeling of being in Auggie's arms. She watched the couples dancing around them. After all the business of the past week, it was nice to just relax with Auggie.

She smiled a little as she saw Stu and Elsa dancing, and Joan and Arthur, and several of the others she'd known from the CIA four months before. She knew she'd gone into _way_ too much CIA and DPD withdrawal when she was tempted to attack Joan, Arthur, Stu, and Bowman with bear hugs as soon as they'd walked through the double glass doors of the church earlier that afternoon.

Because that would have gone _sooo_ well.

She didn't know it was possible to miss Auggie's techies so much.

Auggie reached up and caressed her cheek lightly. "Penny for your thoughts?"

She shrugged lightly. "Just thinking about how I miss old friends," she said.

"You'll see them again soon," he said. "Besides, until then, you'll have me. And Mr. Unromantic over there."

Annie giggled at his joke, but slapped his shoulder in quick succession. "Hey, be nice! He's just worried about Hannah and Bella."

Auggie let his head rest against the top of hers, kissing her hair softly. "I know. Still, after this, he better take her on a month-long honeymoon."

Annie giggled. "Yeah. Although, I'm pretty sure Viv will make sure of that."

* * *

"Hey, baby," Annie cooed, accepting Annabelle into her arms. "Ohhh, baby, are you sleepy?" As she rocked Bella in her arms for a few moments, she turned back to Vivian, accepting the baby bag from her, slinging it over her shoulder. She smiled gently, for Vivian's benefit. "Yeah, we're gonna be fine, aren't we?" she whispered to the one-year-old in her arms, kissing her temple gently. She glanced up at Vivian. "Go. Have fun. We'll be fine, Viv."

Auggie was already holding Hannah on his hip, spinning her around in the grass, making sure he was out of the way of all the other wedding attendees.

"You have the list of things you need to know, right?"

Annie laughed and pushed her friend toward Jai, standing several yards away. "Viv, go! You're _married_. Go do married people stuff, for crying out loud!"

Vivian blushed and giggled. "Okay. Thanks, Annie. So much. Tell Auggie thank you, too."

Annie nodded. "I will! Now, go! Have fun."

"I'm going, I'm going!"

Vivian ran to Jai, letting him capture her hand in his, and they ran toward the receiving line, laughing giddily. As they made their way through the small crowd, shouting their farewells and stopping for one last kiss for the crowd's benefit, a whistle soared through the air, and the world exploded in red, white, and blue as the fireworks display began. Vivian and Jai ducked into the awaiting car, waving farewell, and the audience oohed and aahed at the display.

Annabelle began to whimper, and Annie held her closer to her chest. "Shhh, baby, it's okay. They'll be over soon. I promise. You're gonna be okay…"

A few feet away, Auggie had sunk to the grass and he held a squirming, curious Hannah in his arms. "Whoa!" she whispered, pointing up at the sky. "Look at that!"

Auggie chuckled good-naturedly and hugged the little girl closer to him. "Can you explain them to me, sweetheart?"

It was the only excuse Hannah needed. For the following forty-five minutes, as the guests lingered, Hannah chattered away to Auggie, describing the colors, shapes, and sounds. A few moments after it'd begun, Auggie had beckoned to Annie, and she dropped to the ground next to them. As they sat on that grass, the two girls held in their arms, Hannah chattering away, Auggie reached over and scooped Annie's hand in his own. By the time the fireworks came to a close, Annie had curled up against Auggie's side, leaning into the warm strength he provided.

* * *

Vivian tripped up the steps for the Virginia resort, and her overnight bag clattered against several of the steps. She recovered it just before it somersaulted down the rest of the stairway, and she giggled to herself. When Jai turned around, hushing her, she tried to somber up, but it was her _wedding_ night, and it was just her and Jai for the next 24 hours, and she was just a bit too tipsy from the wine she'd had at the reception to be quiet enough.

A moment later, Jai was laughing, too, and he reached down, grabbing her hand and pulling her up next to him. They snickered and whispered the whole way down the hallway until they found suite 718, and when Jai finally pushed the door open, they stumbled inside, shushing each other and dropping their bags by the front door.

Jai pushed the door shut behind them and reached for his wife. "Mrs. Wilcox," he said, his voice husky, and his eyes twinkled as his eyes roved her in the semi-dark.

"Mr. Wilcox," she whispered in return, pressing up on tiptoe to meet his lips in a kiss. As the kiss deepened, Vivian jumped into his arms, and he caught her, carrying her to the bed.

As she scooted up toward the head of the bed, pulling him up with her, she whispered, "Baby, I love you."

His love, tenderness, and adoration welling in his eyes, he whispered, "Baby, I love you, too…"

* * *

**A/N:** Sooo… WDYT? Review, please!


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N:** Wanted to post this quick before the _In Plain Sight_ finale tonight. Hope you like-ey! Review, please!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Covert Affairs.

* * *

Chapter 16

Annie glanced over at Auggie, clutching the laptop close to his chest. It was the afternoon after Jai and Vivian's wedding, and they were on their way back to the school after picking up the computer program the students had designed. The car was relatively silent.

Annie smirked as she glanced at him again. As she turned her attention back to the road, she teased, "Expecting a hostile takeover, there, Aug?"

Auggie jolted out of his thoughts, turning to give her a cheeky grin. "Not unless it's from you, Miss Walker," he teased back, reaching out for her hand. When he found it, he grinned softly to himself and intertwined their fingers. "You know," he said, "it's probably a good think Ari didn't come with us this time."

Annie turned to look at him for a moment, frowning. "Why?"

He laughed. "Annie, haven't you heard Ari around us? Every time she gets in our car, she always says, 'Aww, you guys are the _cutest_ couple ever!'"

Auggie batted his eyes in Annie's direction in attempt to perfect his Aurélie impersonation, and Annie burst out laughing. "What was that supposed to be?"

Auggie gave Annie a faux-indignant look, which she only laughed harder at. "That's my Ari impersonation!"

Annie reached over and patted his leg. "Well, Aug, I hate to break it to you, but Ari doesn't look _or_ sound anything like that."

There was a slight pause, and then, "Oh, har."

Annie burst out laughing and then let the silence settle between them comfortably. A few moments later, Annie realized what Auggie just said. "Hey!"

An amused smile covered Auggie's face. "What?"

She frowned at him. "Why can't be the cutest couple ever?"

This time, Auggie burst out laughing. He reached over, and, finding her cheek, he caressed it lightly with his thumb. "We can be the cutest couple of infinity if you want, Annie."

A shiver of warmth and delight traveled through her body. How was it possible that one sweet, charming, strong, beautiful, amazing, _perfect_ man could love her so much? She was tempted to pull the car off to the side of the road, just so she could kiss him.

She glanced over at him, love welling in her heart, and she reached over, caressing his cheek, much like he'd just done for her. She glanced at the road for a moment but quickly tore her gaze back to him. "I love you. You know that, right?"

He flashed her a grin, part boyish charm, part proud teasing. "I know."

She could have snorted at that, and she turned to focus back on the road, muttering, "You know, you should try and be less charming when I'm driving. As you're a driving hazard and all."

He snorted, but she could feel his unfocused gaze settling somewhere near her right ear. She could imagine he was grinning over at her, and she turned to check.

A terrifying _thud_ rocked the Civic, and metal grounded on metal. Annie tore her gaze from Auggie, just in time to see a larger-than-life black SUV muscle them off the road and down the hill.

Time stopped for a moment as Annie locked eyes with the masked man in the driver's seat, completely dressed in black spandex. He was tall—probably 6'3"—muscled, and his grey eyes pierced Annie's. This was _not_ an average, run-of-the-mill, car crash.

Then they were moving again, tumbling down the hill, spinning and jolting and rolling, as the little car flipped one, two, four times.

Annie reached out desperately for Auggie as the car rolled the first time, catching her hands around his neck. "Auggie!" she screamed, filling the air with her frantic voice. The locked seatbelt dug into her collar bone and ribcage, and the airbag exploded against her, but she didn't care. Why wasn't he saying anything?

During the last roll, Annie banged her head against the seatbelt mechanism that held the seatbelt over her shoulder, and the world began to spin. "Auggie?" she whispered, shaking him feebly.

Then, the sound of glass breaking against metal echoed in her ears, and she looked up in time to see the masked man breaking through Auggie's window and wrenching the laptop case from his tight grip.

Her last thought before darkness enveloped her was that maybe she should have been worried about a hostile takeover, after all.

* * *

Annie woke to the sound of sirens approaching. She glanced down—or rather, up—at herself, hanging from the floor by her seatbelt. Her head was still throbbing, but otherwise, she seemed to be unaffecte—oh, no.

She reached for her leg, pulling weakly, trying to free herself. During the damage of the car flipping, somehow the metal of the car had mashed itself around her legs, locking her feet and ankles into place.

Tears blurred her vision and she glanced over at Auggie, hanging next to her. Broken glass covered him, and she could see where it had created little cuts all over his body. One of his fingers hung from a painful, unhealthy angle, and his eyes were drooped shut. He didn't appear to be pinned, but there was no way she was releasing his seatbelt, not when he appeared to be unconscious still, and he had no way of protecting his neck when he fell.

She beat her arm feebly against her own window. "Help!" Her voice barely rose above the sound of a hoarse whisper, and she cleared her throat, trying again. "Help me! We're stuck!"

It was no use. No one would hear her outside the car.

Holding her throbbing head with one of her hands, she searched frantically for something—anything—that would deflate the airbag. Nothing.

She turned back to Auggie, fresh tears forming in her eyes. She nudged him. "Auggie? Auggie, wake up. Auggie… speak to me. Auggie!" She jerked his arm fearfully, afraid of the worse. Tears coursed down her cheeks, and above her sobs, she pled, "Auggie, please… baby, please… Wake up. Auggie…"

He coughed and sputtered for a moment, and his eyes fluttered open. Fresh tears filled Annie's eyes, and she reached out for him, caressing his cheek lightly. She didn't want to worsen the little cuts that covered his body. "Auggie…"

He turned toward the sound of her voice and gave her a weak smile. "Hey, babe."

She wished she could reach over far enough to kiss him. Or smack him. "Don't ever scare me like that ever again!"

He chuckled slowly, and she could tell it hurt him. "So you mean I am a driving hazard?"

She did smack him then, as hard as her fist could manage. She was still weak from the adrenaline rush, waking up, and the pain. "Not funny."

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the paramedics and cops charging down the hill, and she relaxed against the back of the seat—as much as she could hanging upside down, anyway. Help was here.

* * *

Vivian was relaxing in the passenger seat, her feet propped up against the dashboard, her seat reclined, her left hand loosely entwined with Jai's when the call came. They'd been on their way back to their Manassas apartment for the last three hours, and Jai hadn't let go of her hand once they'd settled into their car. He'd been apologizing profusely before the call came, dreaming up the perfect honeymoon for them to take together once the dust settled. He had promised he'd make it up to her completely, but she'd long ago stopped worrying about accepting his apology. She loved the various scenarios he was coming up with, and dreams of getting lost on some exotic beach with Jai seemed more than perfect. Maybe Annie could watch the girls again?

When her phone rang, she started, sitting upright. As she fished around in her purse for her phone with her right hand, she glanced up at him, kissing his hand entwined in hers. "Hold that thought," she whispered, her eyes twinkling back at him happily. She flipped open her telephone, settling back against her seat. "Hello?"

Jai watched her curiously as the car filled with silence for a moment. When Vivian's face fell, and she whispered a worried, "Are you kidding?" Jai went on high alert.

"Vivi, what is it?"

She didn't answer him, and that frustrated him all the more. Whatever was being discussed on the end of the telephone line wasn't good—he was sure of that. He glanced back and forth from the freeway in front of him to Vivian, trying to gauge her reaction. When she closed her phone a few moments later, he glanced back at her, and this time, his face held his grimness. "Vivi, what is it?"

She glanced at him worriedly. "Someone attacked Annie and Auggie. Rammed into their car, sent them over the side of the road. Auggie has a broken finger, and Annie has a concussion. They had to cut them out of the car."

Jai didn't need to hear anything else. Squeezing Vivian's hand tighter, he pressed his foot on the gas, maneuvering around traffic. It appeared they weren't safe anymore.

* * *

Aurélie settled into her seat at the dinner table, surprised that her father had cooked them dinner. She studied the spaghetti, spaghetti sauce, and meatballs in front of her. Baptiste Perrot never cooked, and, more importantly, he never cooked Italian. What was up with him?

"What's the occasion, Daddy?" she asked, staring across the table at him. He seemed in an unusually happy mood, and she wasn't sure why. It should make her happy, but instead, it just worried her. Baptiste Perrot wasn't ever this cheerful, either.

He shrugged. "No occasion. Do I need an occasion to have dinner with my daughter?"

She shrugged back. "No. We just usually get our own dinner. I was just curious."

He served her a helping of the food, and, as he gave himself a healthy serving, he asked a little too nonchalantly, "So, how was school today?"

She shrugged, already twirling her spaghetti on her fork. "Mr. and Mrs. Anderson were in an accident today," she said around her first bite.

"Oh?"

"Yeah. Apparently Mrs. Anderson has a concussion, and Mr. Anderson broke a finger! They're keeping them in the hospital overnight just to make sure they're okay."

"That's terrible."

Aurélie glanced up at her dad, surprised by his sympathy. "I know. They were on their way back from picking up the computer program, too. Someone stole the laptop it was on."

"Oh, no! Aurélie, does that mean you don't have the program anymore?"

She grinned back at him. "Oh, no, Daddy. They had a back-up copy at the lab, in case something happened to our copy. Miss Long—I mean, Mrs. Wilcox—and her husband picked up another copy when they got back to Manassas. We had about twelve copies made, and they're hid in a bunch of different places, just to make sure nothing like that ever happens again."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. I don't know where they all are, but I think Mr. Wilcox knows what he's doing. Mrs. Wilcox says he's some kind of government worker or something."

"Oh."

They sat in silence for the rest of the meal, but when Aurélie rinsed out her dinner dishes and locked herself in her room to finish her homework, Baptiste pounded the table and cursed.

How in the world did they have such _bad_ luck?

* * *

Annie glanced up at the sound of the rhythmic scraping against the floor. She was grinning even before she saw who it was. It didn't matter that he now held his cane in his left hand, to accommodate his broken right index finger, so the wide sweeping noise was less graceful and a bit more jolted. She still knew it was Auggie.

It just seemed wrong to keep a "married" couple away from each other after what they'd gone through, but seeing Auggie waltz into her room at 11:00 at night helped. Her visitors had long since left for the night, and she'd been left with crappy TV and her thoughts.

And she didn't want to think about what happened that afternoon.

There was nothing she could have done to stop it, and they still had the computer program, even if someone else did, too. Annie had, by a stroke of good luck, noticed the license of the SUV while it had still been farther away, and Jai was tracking it down. There really was nothing they could do. Besides, if she were a gambling woman (okay, well, sometimes she was, but not when thousands of people's lives hung in the balance), she would say that whoever was in that car would lead directly to Baptiste Perrot.

"Hi, Auggie," she said softly, letting her voice guide him to her. "Watch out for the chair. It's about three feet in front of you."

He reached out, skirting around the chair, and he dropped into it and scooted it to the edge of her bed. His eyes twinkled with his little caper, and he reached out, feeling for her hand. "Hey, babe."

She grinned at the excitement in his eyes. Only Auggie would be so excited about escaping from his hospital bed. "Escaped from prison, I see."

He laughed. "There was no reason for me to stay there, anyway. I figured you'd need me to keep some monsters at bay."

She was touched that he'd even stopped to think about how the accident would affect her. By some stroke of luck, she'd managed to live nearly 30 years without being in a single car accident, until now. Now she couldn't keep the images, the memories, from her brain. She kept reliving every horrible moment, and all she wanted was for the world to stop flipping upside down.

He stroked her hand gently at her silence, offering her a sympathetic smile. "You okay, Annie?"

She shrugged against the pillows that propped her up. "I've never been in an accident before. Not once. Did you know that?"

He lifted her palm to his lips, kissing it gently. "Yeah, baby. I know."

She pushed the thoughts from her mind. She didn't want to think about those things, especially not when Auggie had come to cheer her up.

She turned to study him, taking in the little cuts all over his body. She scooted to the edge of the bed, crossing her legs Indian-style, and she ghosted her hands over his face and arms. Most of the little cuts weren't large enough or deep enough to warrant bandages, but there was enough of them that the sight of the hundreds of little cuts made her a little queasy at the thought. She still couldn't believe someone would do anything like this to them, much less Auggie. Sweet, kind, adorable, perfect Auggie. "Do they hurt?" she whispered, watching his face for any hint of pain.

He shrugged. "Not really. They burn a little. They tell me that after they start to heal, the cuts will start to itch like crazy."

She lifted his right hand, studying his finger in the metal splint. "What about your finger? Does it hurt?"

He laughed and reached for her hands, capturing them in his own. "Annie…" He let go of her hands to cup her face with both his hands, and he pulled her closer, capturing her lips in a gentle kiss. When she pulled away, he caressed her cheek lightly. "Annie, I'm fine. Okay? I've seen lots worse, and I'm not going to die. Okay, baby?"

She smiled softly at the insistent look on his face. "Okay."

His exploring hands found the hospital table, and, resting on the edge, the TV remote. "So is your TV any better than mine?"

She laughed. "I don't think so." But she moved over anyway, making room for him on the bed, and she patted the spot she'd vacated. "Here. C'mere."

He gave her a curious look for a moment, but climbed up onto the bed anyway. Annie rearranged the pillows to suit them both, and while Auggie flipped on the television, Annie curled herself into his side, resting her head on his chest and wrapping her arm around his waist lightly.

Auggie stilled as she adjusted herself against him, but when she stopped moving and all he could hear was some infomercial and the even cadence of Annie breathing against him, he slowly adjusted himself and wrapped his left arm around her, holding her close. Annie belonged in his arms—it was as simple as that.

When he made no move to change the channel, she reached for the remote, changing the channel until Auggie recognized the voice of David Boreanaz. He only recognized it because his mom had been _obsessed_ about the show _Angel_ just after he joined the Army, and every time he visited home, she made him watch it with her.

"Oh, I love this show!" Annie squealed in his ear, and he laughed, smoothing down her hair and kissing her temple.

"Shhh," he whispered. "The nurses are gonna hear and kick me out." They fell back into silence, and Auggie listened a little bit, trying to figure out what was going on in the show. "Please tell me you're not addicted to _Angel_, too."

She craned her neck to look up into his eyes, and she scowled. "_Angel_? Ew, no. This is _Bones_."

He relaxed a little, focusing back on what was going on. At least Annie had better taste in TV than his mom did.

They'd turned on the television barely after eleven, but it didn't take long for Annie to succumb to the pressure of the day. The stress, long hours, and worry had worn on her, and all she'd needed was an excuse to fall asleep. She soon had relaxed limply against him, and Auggie smirked when, in the middle of an especially suspenseful moment in the episode, Annie snorted loudly and snuggled closer to him.

He listened to the episode for a few more minutes, and, when he felt himself falling asleep, too, he clicked off the television, letting his head drop down to hers protectively as he drifted off to sleep.

* * *

The next morning, Annie and Auggie woke to the sound of a nurse's shriek as she entered Annie's hospital room. "Mr. Anderson!"

Annie and Auggie stirred, and Annie groaned at the interruption. "Mr. Anderson, did you know the nurses have been looking for you since eleven o'clock?"

Auggie lifted his head off the pillow and turned in the direction of the annoying shrieking. "I was right here."

The nurse rolled her eyes. "Yes, I can see that." She marched over to them both, grabbing Auggie by the arm. "Come on. Dr. Izor wants to see you."

As the nurse dragged Auggie away, barely giving him time to retrieve his white cane, he glanced back at Annie, grinning brightly. "See you later?"

Despite the fact that she was still half asleep, Annie laughed. Sometimes, Auggie knew how to make everything better.

* * *

**A/N:** Tada! Review, please!

Oh, and yes, I'm completely aware that it's unlikely anything in the hospital would happen that happened in this chapter, but really, if I wrote it realistically, it wouldn't be anywhere near as cute. :)


	17. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer:** I owneth not Covert Affairs. You should-eth knoweth this by now. :)

* * *

Chapter 17

Annie breathed in the cool spring morning air and took in the blooming campus surrounding them. Dogwoods, magnolias, and lilies were strategically arranged all over campus, and she couldn't help but admire its beauty.

True, they'd only been gone for a little under a week, but still, she had missed this place. She kinda wished Auggie could see it now, in its splendor. He'd never really mentioned appreciating beauty like this, but still, she wished she could share it with him.

"Ready to be a librarian again?"

His eyes twinkled mischievously down at her. "Baby, I was born to be a librarian."

She snorted into his shirtsleeve. "Yeah, okay."

By some miracle, they'd managed to be released from the hospital that next day, but Annie could have sworn that if Auggie had gone on another of his capers, they would have held the both of them for spite. She didn't want to count the number of times he'd appeared in her doorway, grinning like a fool, each time carrying some type of contraband. It had been chocolate ice cream the first time, and coffee the second. She didn't even want to know where he'd gotten it all from.

Though they'd been perfectly willing to go back to work that same day, John Bradley, the principal, had insisted they take off until the end of the week. With all that had happened during the accident, it was shocking that Annie and Auggie hadn't been hurt worse, and John insisted that they needed "time with each other to reflect on the gift of life you've been given."

John said things like that a lot. Annie wasn't sure what was wrong with the man, but he had a good heart, so she never questioned it. She missed being at the heart of the action, and she sincerely hoped nothing happened while they were forced out, but really, what could they do? She'd tried to show up Tuesday afternoon to pick up some grading materials—and maybe get an update from Aurélie—but John, with some help from Tess and Vivian, had ushered her right back out the door.

So, for the past three days, they'd slept in late, had waffles for breakfast each morning, went over what little information they'd been able to get from Jai about the SUV that had plowed into them, and fell asleep in each other's arms together on the couch watching reruns _Hogan's Heroes_, _Hawaii Five-0_, and _Castle_.

Now it was Friday, and John was finally letting them back in the school. She could smell whiney teenagers, old textbooks, turkey sandwiches, and that weird air refreshener that the janitors insisted on spraying in _every_ room, and she wondered if Auggie's heightened senses were starting to rub off on her.

She pressed in a little closer to his side and hugged his arm tighter, and she pushed up on her tiptoes, pressing a kiss to his cheek. Auggie ducked a little, grinning to himself, as he felt her perfect, adorable nose press into his cheek. When she began to pull away, he turned his head just to the right angle, and before she could escape, he captured her lips in a proper kiss. It didn't last very long, and it wasn't as passionate or desperate or sweet as some of the kisses they'd shared, but when he pulled away, he was grinning, and he whispered, "I love you" like it was an undisputable fact of the universe, and it was just something that needed to be said.

She just stared up at him for a moment, a mixture of wonder and pleasure covering her face, before she laughed a little and reached for his arm again. "C'mon," she said. "We're gonna be late."

Annie held the front door open for Auggie and turned to look back at him as they both stepped into the foyer area. "Hey, Auggie, do you—"

Before she could finish her sentence, shouts, kazoos, laughter, and whoops of joy filled the air as the lights flickered on. At the center of the crowd that filled the entryway—which _had_ to include the whole student body, not to mention all the faculty—stood Aurélie, Vivian, and Tess, grinning widely.

Tears began to burn at the back of Annie's eyes. She'd never thought of herself as a sappy kind of girl, but their beaming smiles proved how much they loved her and Auggie. She didn't understand this kind of love, that these people they were living lies to could embrace them so easily.

Aurélie broke from the crowd, running to Annie's and Auggie's side. With a grin, she threw her arms around them both, seemingly unaware of Annie's still-stiff neck and Auggie's broken finger. "You're okay!" she squealed.

Annie cringed as she absorbed Aurélie's energy, holding up the three of them. Aurélie's impulsive attack had thrown Auggie, and he hadn't been prepared enough to keep his balance. But as Aurélie snuggled closer, wriggling her way between them, Annie let herself settle into the hug. They _were_ safe. Aurélie was safe.

After a moment, Aurélie pulled away a little and said, "C'mon!" She grabbed Auggie's hand, not seeming to notice he was just disoriented enough to feel out of his element, and pulled him toward the group of people waiting for them. Annie reached out, grabbing Auggie's hand, as she stumbled after them.

When the students and faculty enveloped them into their midst, Annie stared, with surprise, at the table. Three huge cakes graced the long table, and John Bradley stood behind it, looking as if he was about to serve the cake.

"Cake?" Annie asked.

John shrugged. "Clearly, not our brightest hour. But we figured it'd be okay, this once. Besides, how could we let the return of our favorite librarian and French teacher go unnoticed?" He winked at her, and she blushed. It was more of a grandfatherly wink than a move, and she was touched that they cared so much about her and Auggie.

Annie slipped into Auggie's arms, wrapping her arms around his waist, as they became even more of the center of attention. As cake was doled out to the entire student body and faculty, everyone peppered them with questions about the accident and their progress. Annie decided right there that chocolate cake and morbid curiosity did not mix. She was glad she could let Auggie take the wheel. He was good in the limelight, and she couldn't help but grin as she listened to his overly dramatic retelling of the accident, being sure to puff up every detail that made his audience ooh and aah. His audience ate up his hospital stories, laughing at the nurse that always tried to pull them apart, listening intently with wide smiles at every romantic gesture Auggie had performed—and created, just for the story.

The whole time, he made sure to keep Annie tucked in his arms, playing with her loose blond tresses as he talked. He looked so comfortable, so at ease, and she loved the way he so easily filled the role of being the man who loved her.

Before long, the group disbanded, heading to their respective classrooms. She watched, torn, as her students headed to her classroom. She knew she should probably let Auggie find his way to the library—he certainly knew his way—but after spending the last half hour tucked at his side, she really didn't want to leave him.

Sensing her hesitancy, he reached up and cupped her cheek, kissing her softly. "Go. I'll be fine, Annie. I can find my way."

"I know."

"Besides, who knows what crappy sort of French teacher has been entertaining them for the past four days. They need someone to put them in their places again."

Annie snorted. "Yeah, okay, Aug." But she got his message.

She paused in the hallway, and, before he could escape, she ran to catch up. "At least walk me to my classroom?"

He beamed back at her, offering his elbow ceremoniously. "It would be my pleasure."

Annie laughed into his arm as she hugged it. Sometimes, she just didn't know what she would do without Auggie.

* * *

Stu pushed through the double doors that led into tech ops, the doors banging against the walls in his haste, and he tore through the DPD bullpen, not seeming to notice (or care) that the majority of the eyes in the room followed his hurried journey to Joan's office, as he tripped over his own feet a couple of times.

The operatives in the bullpen began to whisper to each other. What was going on? Stu Heatherton always lived in the shadows—he was the reserved sort of tech analyst who preferred to stay relatively unknown.

Stu pounded on Joan's door for a moment before plowing through, his chest heaving from his unexpected journey. "Joan!"

Joan glanced up from her paperwork slowly, her glare a mix between warning and piqued interest. "Can I help you, Mr. Heatherton?"

Stu glanced around Joan's impressive office and suddenly realized what he'd done. He withdrew into himself, seeming to cower right in front of Joan, and he silently shoved the paper he was holding onto her desk, right in front of her.

"Read it," Stu insisted.

Joan's eyes grew increasingly wider as she read line after line of decoded cipher, and, when she finished reading, she looked up at Stu. "This was the message Vivian intercepted?" she asked, all gripes about his interruption forgiven.

Stu just nodded, his arms folded over his chest. "Yeah. It took me forever to find the right book for the cipher, but once I did—boom."

Joan nodded and glanced back down at the paper. The message was written out in Stu's extravagant scrawl. She still couldn't believe it's contents—here was tangible proof that Baptiste Perrot and Niko Petrakis were after the device Aurélie Perrot was creating on the behalf of _Bill_.

Bill, the terrorist who wreaked havoc on every major city and village in Europe. Bill, the terrorist Joan had spent a good part of her career trying to track down. Bill, the terrorist who had spent the majority of his career trying to pick a fight with a certain Arthur Campbell of the CIA. But most puzzling, Bill, the international terrorist who made it excruciatingly clear that Baptiste Perrot was _not_ his ally.

She needed to talk to Arthur about this. She needed to make sure Annie and Auggie were safe. She needed a plan. She needed to destroy Bill.

But right now, she needed Stu Heatherton not to worry. Without Auggie manning tech ops, Stu was the unofficial leader, and Joan needed tech ops running smoothly should she need them in the near future.

Smiling reassuringly up at Stu, she said, "So, what book was it?"

He glanced back in the direction of tech ops a bit self-consciously. "Um, The Count of Monte Cristo."

Joan's eyebrows rose in interest, and then, folding the paper in half, she said, "Thanks, Stu. I'll take it from here."

Taking the cue, Stu nodded and took his departure, grateful the whole DPD didn't make a huge spectacle of his prior trip to Joan's office as he made his way back to tech ops.

* * *

"Joan! To what do I owe the pleasure?" Arthur teased, grinning up at his wife as she silently stormed through the door to his office. He quickly mellowed when he saw the look on her face. "What is it?"

She threw the folded piece of paper onto his desk, and waited while he picked it up and unfolded it. "Bill's back."

Joan gave her husband time to read the note, and when he looked up at her again, she crossed her arms over her chest. "I don't like this one bit."

Arthur gave her a sympathetic look and sighed softly. "Joan, honey, look… Annie and Auggie are two completely different people from us. They'll be able to attack Bill from a completely different angle. They're _good_ at what they do. You've said it a million times. Trust them a little. Trust in your judgment."

Joan sighed. "I do… I just—"

Arthur gave her a tender look and walked around his desk, enveloping her in his arms. Slowly, she relaxed against him, burying her face in his chest as she hugged him back. Arthur really was too perfect for her.

"Annie and Auggie will be fine, Joan. Trust me."

She sighed softly, breathing in the mix of his cologne and aftershave. She loved it when he held her like this. Somehow, he had magical powers to make all her worries go away.

* * *

Annie stopped short when she rounded the corner to the math and science wing of MCA, surprised to see Joan walking straight towards her. "Joan-anna?" she stuttered.

Joan grinned brightly, as if Annie were just the person she was looking for. "Annie, hey. Is Auggie around? I came to take you out to dinner, if you are both up to it. I'm in town for the weekend, and I thought it'd be nice to catch up…"

Annie stared back at Joan dumbly. How was Joan _so_ good at keeping up a ruse? She had just said hey. _Hey_. Like they really were old friends that hadn't seen each other in months. She was so… casual, and sweet, and… caring?

Joan was reaching out to Annie, as if she meant to hug her, and Annie quickly buried her comically confused look, hugging Joan in reply. When they pulled away, Annie nodded in the direction of the library. "Yeah, Auggie's just in the library. We were getting ready to leave for the day in a few minutes, anyway."

Joan nodded and followed Annie to the library. "So how do you like it here?"

Annie glanced back at Joan, trying to figure out how she was supposed to treat her boss in the field. "Um, good. We love it. The kids are really great, and it's been a great opportunity for us. I'm not so sure this side project we're sponsoring is great for our health, but it's important."

Annie didn't miss the slight smirk on Joan's lips at that comment as she walked through the double doors on the side of the library. She grinned when she saw Auggie, relaxing in his office. She knocked twice on the double doors. "Hey, baby, guess who's here?"

She stepped out of the way, allowing Joan entrance, and Auggie listened for a moment. "Joanna!"

Joan smirked in Auggie's direction. "What gave me away?"

Auggie smirked right back at her. "How many times do I have to tell you how distinctive that necklace is?"

Joan just rolled her eyes, but pulled Auggie into a hug anyway. True, Annie and Auggie were her employees, but they were her _special_ employees. She'd always had a soft spot for the two of them, and knowing they were safe was reassuring.

She couldn't say what would come next—Bill against Annie and Auggie was like Goliath facing David. But hey, if David could defeat Goliath, then Annie and Auggie certainly had hope.

* * *

**A/N:** Yeah, I totally poned Stu's last name from **Beth – Geek Chic**, but seriously, she's way more awesome at coming up with last names that fit existing characters than I am! And I don't feel too bad about it, since I know for a fact several other authors have done the same thing. lol. But yes, all credit does go to her. :)

I hope you liked it! It was kinda more of a filler chapter for details about the case, but in a chapter or two, it's going to really pick up!

Review, please!


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N:** Ugh, it's so weird writing after CA has finished for the summer! I already miss it. :*( Oh, well! On to the story… we're almost done! Probably three or four chapters left, including this one!

I am aiming to have this done by the time I head back to school. Which is officially August 30. Soo. I think I can probably get two or three more chapters posted by then. :)

Also—I have _no clue_ what President Obama is like in real life. He just comes across as very charismatic to me, and I just mixed that with how I always thought a kind and generous president would act. haha. So if you've met him in person and I'm way off, please excuse me. :)

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Covert Affairs…

* * *

Chapter 18

Annie ambled into MCA's gymnasium on the night of the banquet, her hand tucked into Auggie's familiarly, and she slowed to a stop, taking in the banquet set up before her. She and Auggie had left four hours ago to shower and get dressed, and the kids had transformed the gym since then.

Annie stared in awe at the transformed room in front of her. When they'd left, it had looked nice, but this—this was like a five-star restaurant. Where had they gotten all of this? Thick, plush pearl-white carpet covered the gymnasium's floor, and the walls, usually drab, were now smooth and painted a solid white. Annie had known about the walls—the paint would have been nowhere near dry if she hadn't—but where had they gotten the carpet from? Long tables filled the gymnasium, white silk table cloths covering each one. In the middle of each long table, displayed evenly, were three beautifully arranged bouquets of flowers, predominantly jasmine and freesias. A table setting was prepared for every guest, and place cards displayed everyone's seating assignment in an elegant font. Brilliant cranberry-colored candles—there must have been at least three hundred of them—lined the tables and the walls, giving the room an elegant, romantic aura.

"Wow," Annie whispered. How had fifteen kids done all of this?

Aurélie skipped over to them, beaming brightly. Her face positively glowed from her excitement about the evening's festivities. She looked sweetly pretty and grown up, her dark hair swept back into an elegant bun, a few strands hanging loose around her face. She wore a beautiful sleeveless white taffeta dress, flowing out from her waist, a cranberry sash framing her petite waist. A matching cranberry bolero covered just enough of her upper arms to satisfy the school's dress code requirements. "You came back!"

Auggie rolled his eyes. "Yeah, well, you kinda didn't give us a chance."

She beamed back at them. "Look at all the people that came! Can you believe it?" She managed to wriggle her way in between Annie and Auggie, and she looped her arms through both of theirs, grinning up at them. "I think I'm going to be famous."

Annie and Auggie burst out laughing. Ever since they'd both left to get ready for the evening, their nerves had been a little on edge with their worry for the end of the mission, but Aurélie's sweet personality brought out the good in them, as always.

Before they knew what happened, Aurélie had flitted out from between them, and she was pulling on Annie's forearm insistently. "Mrs. Anderson! C'mon! You have to meet somebody!"

Annie smirked over at Auggie, who was already grinning back at her (How did he do that? Completely mirror her own thoughts without even being able to see her?). She reached out, threading her fingers with his, and he struggled to keep up with her. She pulled Aurélie into a slower walk, and Annie smiled to herself at how closely Auggie was walking next to her. He was softly ghosting his thumb over her knuckles, and she wondered if he even knew how adorably protective he was being.

She loved the way that he was already insisting on staying close, hovering, like he really was the doting, overprotective, sweet husband he'd pretended to be for the past four or five months.

When they came to a (rather abrupt) stop in front of a senator and his wife, Annie looked up at Auggie fondly and slipped her arms around his waist, hugging him close. He automatically wrapped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her close, tucking her against his side, and his other hand came up, holding the arm that snaked around his stomach. As Aurélie introduced both of them to the senator, Auggie caressed her arm lightly, and she snuggled deeper into his arms.

Yeah, being Auggie's girl was definitely one of her favorite things ever.

* * *

"Welcome to tonight's banquet," President Obama's voice boomed through the microphone, and all the guests, scattered around the gymnasium, watched him with respectful interest. Annie leaned her back farther against Auggie's chest, reaching up to hold his arms that were wrapped around her shoulders protectively in place. She lightly caressed his arms as she listened to what the president had to say. Never in a million years would she have imagined she would work for the CIA, much less find love as sweet as this and meet the president of the United States America, all during one confusing, eternally long, wonderful op.

As the president began his small speech about the fifteen students' accomplishment, Auggie leaned down a few inches and brushed a gentle kiss against the crown of her head. She grinned up at him like a fool, craning her neck to look up into his eyes, and she held one index finger to her lips. "Shh! I'm trying to hear the president!"

Auggie just smirked down at her and rested his chin on her head as he listened. Annie turned her attention back to what Obama was saying. "… I would like to invite the fifteen students who worked so hard on this project to make it a reality."

He waited while the fifteen students, all glowing and slack-jawed with surprise, filed up onto the stage, and Annie grinned while she watched them. She knew those kids, all fifteen of them, and this was, no doubt, the highlight of their lives. Seeing the president of the United States acknowledge them for their brains and charm, it made her feel good. They deserved this, whatever _this_ was.

As the teenagers stood on the stage, fidgeting in their nervous curiosity, the president reached for a pile of nicer-than-average folders, and he began handing them out to each student with no question as to who any of them where. "As the fifteen of you can see, the certificates inside of each of your folders include a scholarship that has been set up in honor of what the fifteen of you have accomplished. This scholarship will be given to fifteen worthy students each year who have used their skills, time, and intelligence to work to better the United States of America. This scholarship will be given to only the most deserving high school students, and will be accepted in any college or university within the U.S. with no regard to the major you decide to pursue. The United States government—along with many other governments around the world—are thoroughly impressed with what the fifteen of you have done, and we hope this gesture begins to show you the amount of gratitude we feel for saving the lives of so many people."

The room erupted into dainty applause, and Annie did likewise, applauding a little louder than all the others. She felt like letting loose an impulsive "woohoo!" but thought it might be out of place, in the midst of all the senators, government leaders, leaders of dozens of government agencies from across the world, and international dignitaries. Nonetheless, she beamed with pride.

Those were _her_ kids getting full scholarships to the schools of their choice, before they even reached their senior year of high school.

As the applause died down, the students began to file off stage, one by one (after shaking the president's hand, of course), but Obama snagged Aurélie's arm, indicating she should stay with him. He handed her the hand-held microphone setting on the podium, and she fidgeted nervously as she accepted it.

Annie flashed her a smile, hoping she caught it, before Obama began speaking again. "Now, young lady, you're name is Aurélie Perrot, is that correct?"

She nodded a bit shyly. "Yeah."

"And you're in charge of this group, right? I mean, you were the one that organized the whole project and kept it going?"

Ari shrugged. "Yeah, I was the one that came up with the idea, if that's what you mean. But it was Mr. and Mrs. Anderson who helped keep everything organized and flowing smoothly."

The president looked out into the audience. "Mr. and Mrs. Anderson? And who are they?"

Aurélie beamed out at the audience, more confident now that the spotlight wasn't on her so much. "Well, Mrs. Anderson teaches French here at MCA, and Mr. Anderson is the librarian. They came here in early December, after Mrs. Marais went on maternity leave. They'd been needing a librarian all year until then, and when they hired Mrs. Anderson as the French teacher, they also hired Mr. Anderson as the librarian. They were really nice to me when they first got here—Mr. Anderson's super smart, and Mrs. Anderson's just so kind and helpful—and I thought they would be great sponsors for our project. The faculty insisted that we have a faculty sponsor, and when Mrs. Marais left for her maternity leave, we didn't have a sponsor anymore. They just were so perfect."

Obama grinned first at Aurélie, then at the audience. "What do you say—do you think we should get them up here, too?"

Aurélie beamed back at the president and nodded, and Obama called into his microphone, "Mr. and Mrs. Anderson? Are you out there?"

Annie groaned as she glanced up at Auggie. True, Secret Service, FBI, CIA, NSA, Scotland Yard, MI6, and Mossad agents filled the room, eager to hear more about the device fifteen high school students had created to save thousands of lives, not to mention countless agents from France, Germany, Russia, Greece, Italy, Mexico, Argentina, and Poland. This was probably the safest place to be, for the whole duration of this deep cover mission, but she couldn't help feeling like she would be exposed and vulnerable to an attack by Bill or Baptiste up there, standing on the stage with President Obama, Aurélie, and Auggie.

But when the room interrupted into applause, and Vivian nudged them toward the stage, Annie stepped forward, taking Auggie's hand. When they stepped up onto stage, Aurélie hugged both of them impulsively, and the audience cooed.

"So you're Mrs. and Mrs. Anderson, are you?" Obama asked, and Annie nodded, accepting the microphone from Aurélie.

"So, what led you to take part in such an amazing endeavor?"

Annie glanced from Auggie to Aurélie to Obama. She wanted to groan. How did she get caught up in all this press-and-politics, good-publicity mumbo-jumbo crap? That was never who she was. "It wasn't such an amazing endeavor to us, Mr. President," she said sweetly. "We just wanted to help where we could, and we couldn't let such a worthy project get shut down just because Aurélie had no faculty sponsor."

She handed the microphone back to Aurélie, hoping both Aurélie and President Obama got the hint. Thankfully, the president did. "Thank you, Mrs. Anderson," he said graciously. "You may step off the stage, if you like."

Annie guided Auggie off the stage, and they stood off to the side, listening and watching as Aurélie answered a million questions about where she'd gotten the idea, why she thought Annie and Auggie were so amazing (especially the blind librarian who also was a pro at creating computer programs), why she'd believed in the project so much, and why she wanted to hand the program over to the U.S. government, rather than France, her home country. As the president wrapped up his questions for her, Aurélie announced, "After we finish our dinner, we would like to give a short demonstration of how the program works. Please enjoy the meal we've prepared for you in the meanwhile."

President Obama and Aurélie stepped off the stage, and, as the guests milled about, finding their seats, Aurélie found Annie and Auggie quickly, throwing herself into their arms. "Did you see? I got a _full scholarship_ to whatever school I want to go to!"

Annie beamed as she held Aurélie close. She would have done the same for Gavin, or Zane, or Isaiah, or any of the other fourteen students they'd been encouraging and nurturing for the past five months. "I heard," she laughed. "So where are you going to go?"

Ari snorted. "As if I know that yet. Puh-leese. I still have a whole year to figure that out."

Annie just laughed. "Well, that's true." Ari made no effort to move, and, as Annie's stomach growled loudly, she asked, "So I don't suppose you're in any hurry to get to your own spot at the table?"

Aurélie jolted in surprise, grinning. She reached out, tugging on both of their hands, and she guided them to the table. "C'mon. We put you right next to Arthur and Joan Campbell. They're in the _CIA_! Isn't that exciting?"

* * *

Felix Williams leaned over next to Stu and said, "Hey, bud, isn't that Auggie Anderson? As in, the head of the tech ops, you know, your boss?"

Stu shrugged as he glanced over at Annie and Auggie settling down in their seats across from Joan and Arthur. Felix _was_ CIA, after all, and nobody was around. "Yeah, but—so what? What is with you lately?"

As Stu glanced up, he discovered that Felix had already disappeared.

_Weird_, he thought.

* * *

Annie watched as a few of the students set up the laptop projector on the front stage, her arm wrapped loosely around Auggie's waist. To the outside world, she looked like any supportive teacher, proud of her students' accomplishments, but on the inside, Annie's mind was subconsciously on a million other things—Joan had made sure to warn them that Bill and Baptiste would likely strike today, and there was a million ways in which they could do it. Half of them Annie didn't even know how to predict.

She studied Auggie out of the corner of her eye. His attention seemed to be focused on the stage, as well, and he was listening for anything out of the ordinary, it seemed.

He turned to her, instinctively reaching up and cupping her face with his left hand. He smiled at her gently and kissed her for a moment. Caressing her cheek lightly, he whispered, "You're not freaking out too much about this, are you?"

She shook her head immediately, and he smirked.

"Yeah, well, I know you too well to know you're not worried about tonight."

She studied his face for a moment, studying the subtly tense lines around his eyes and mouth. "Well, it's not like I'm the only one that's not worried."

He grinned back at her. "Touché." He leaned in and kissed her forehead gently. "But try not to worry too much, 'kay, babe? This room is filled with good guys."

She smiled to herself. She loved how he always made her feel better, more confident, so effortlessly. "Okay," she sighed, scooting her chair closer to his as she hid in the crook of his arm. She rested her head against his shoulder, watching to the people talking and milling about her, listening as he told her (what _had_ to be) made-up stories about his techies.

There was just _no way_ Stu was that much like Spiderman.

Annie was just starting to think that this could be any average night, and that she could be any average woman, in love with the most amazing man in the world, when the microphone squawked from the front stage. "Excuse me? Can I have your attention please? The program is set up and we're ready to begin…"

Annie sat up a little straighter in her chair but didn't make any effort to pull out of Auggie's arms. She watched as the laptop's screen popped onto the display screens hung midway between the ceiling and the floor.

Zane and Isaiah walked everyone through the home screen for the program, explaining its various features and how the program worked. Just when they were about to explain what they would see when an actual bomb was detected, the laptop in front of the two boys began beeping loudly, and Adele Francisco, sitting in one of the vacated seats near the front of the gymnasium, whispered, "You've got to be kidding me."

The whole room watched, in growing horror, as the numbers started to run down the left side of the screens, and the revolving world narrowed in first on the United States, then on the Washington, D. C. area, and then, the computer dinged as its discovered location flashed on the two screens.

_Mercy Christian Academy_.

Adele was already breathing like a guppy fish, and her friend, Ethan, was bent over her, trying to get her to take even, deep breaths. Annie watched for a minute as everyone in the room began to get more and more frantic, each trying to determine the best course of action. Her heart broke as she watched her fifteen kids, looking so helpless and confused. All their accomplishments hadn't prepared them for _this_.

Then suddenly, Annie was up out of her chair, and she kissed Auggie hastily. "I gotta go."

Fear, worry, and confusion struggled for dominance on Auggie's face. "Where?"

"I know where the bomb is."

Fear grabbed Auggie by the heart. "You know where—what? Annie, no, you can't go!"

She cupped his face gently between her hands, stroking his cheeks. "Auggie, I have to. I'm the only one who can do anything. If Bill or Baptiste put one of Bill's bombs in this school, there is only one place it would be. Just let me _go_. This is why we're here. To make a difference. Let me make a difference."

Auggie could tell by the fervency in her voice that there would be no convincing her. Besides, he had always known, deep in his heart somewhere, that he could never come between Annie and justice.

He sighed. "Okay. Okay." He heard a little whoosh, and knew she was already on her way. He reached out and snagged her arm before she could get away. "But just—Annie. Promise me. Take Jai with you."

Annie's expression melted with his worry. Despite the bomb, and the frenzy, his only concern was her. She gave him a gentle, impulsive kiss before she pulled away. "I will." She stepped away from him a few feet, and held up her cell phone, wiggling it at him. "Keep your phone handy! I'll call you with any news."

And with that, Annie was gone.

* * *

Annie led the way down the back hallway, flashlight in hand, with Jai right behind her. Somehow, she felt safer with Jai there. They had only ever really been friends, but Jai always helped her feel safe. He'd rescued her and Vivian in London, and her and Reva in Poland, and countless other times. Jai was like a fortress, when he wanted to be.

"So, how does it feel, chasing down the bad guys again?" Jai whispered into the stillness of the night.

Annie smirked over at him. Truth be told, she'd missed this, the adrenaline, the sense of justice and goodness, fighting the bad guys. True, she'd been fighting the bad guys all along, but everything had seemed a lot—safer. "Good. Really good."

Jai nodded and flashed her his megawatt smile. "Well, we're glad you're almost back."

They both stilled when they heard a footfall behind them. Jai aimed his flashlight and gun toward where the sound of the footfall had come, but no one was there. Annie reached into her pocket and held speed dial _1_. She could faintly hear the sound of Auggie's voice asking if she was there, and then his silence when he realized what she was doing.

She couldn't risk explaining to him what was going on, but she needed him to know if something happened.

Sighing, a little bit more on edge, they moved forward.

* * *

Aurélie watched with curiosity as Annie and Jai disappeared from the crowd and down toward the basement of the school, beneath the gymnasium. _Where were they going?_

In an impulsive decision, she stole away from the group of politicians, dignitaries, and government agents. It really wasn't hard to follow Annie and Mr. Wilcox—they weren't trying to hide themselves, and the light gave them away. She'd discarded her shoes at the entrance to the stairs leading to the basement, so they didn't even hear her heels clicking on the linoleum floor.

She listened, confused, as Mrs. Anderson and Mr. Wilcox talked about Annie coming back to work, or something. _What was he talking about? Mrs. Anderson worked_ here._ At MCA._

Annie and Jai reached the bottom of the stairs when Aurélie heard a footstep directly behind her. She turned to look, to scream, because, really—what _good_ thing could be behind her when she was snooping around, probably looking for Bill's bomb, on the night when they were practically ruining his chances of terror?—but a hand clasped over her mouth before she could even open her lips.

White-hot fear seared through every bone of her body as her frenzied, wide eyes rolled back into her head as she tried to look at her captor. She kicked and grunted in attempt to escape, to no avail. The man who held her in his grasp would not relent.

As Annie and Jai disappeared around the corner, all Aurélie could hope was that they could get away in time.

* * *

Annie turned to grab Jai's arm. She knew she probably shouldn't worry about such things, like keeping him close for protection, but as the thick darkness surrounded them, and the suspense and worry grew, she couldn't help it. "C'mon," she whispered. "It's right through these doors."

Before she could pull the door open, she heard a hissing _bzzzzt_ slice the air, and she swung around, flashlight lighting her pathway, until she came face-to-face with the man who had tased Jai. She froze, surprised, at the man who stood in the pathway of her light.

"Annie Walker," Felix Williams called out, as if he were pleased to see her, one side of his lips quirking up in an amused, self-pleased grin. "I've been looking for you."

Before she could even think to fight back (really, what had happened to her in the past five months, that she couldn't even put up a fight against a bad guy?), he'd spun her around, binding her wrists with plastic restraints he'd had in his pocket. A shiver of angry fear flowed through her body, and when he leaned close to whisper something in her ear, she kicked back and threw her head back as hard as she could. She could hear the crack of skull on skull.

Felix cursed loudly and thwacked the butt of his gun into Annie's head. As everything faded to black and her eyes slipped shut, she couldn't help wondering, _How in the world would she get out of this?_

* * *

Back in the gymnasium, Auggie heard Felix's voice waft through the speaker in Annie's phone. "Annie Walker…"

His throat constricted. Felix? Felix _Williams_?

His stomach twisted at the sound of skulls cracking and a soft body slumping to the ground.

Felix had _Annie._

* * *

**A/N:** Ohhhh, weren't expecting that, were you?

Okay, maybe you were, and maybe you weren't. :) But I wasn't expecting me to scare myself so much with this! Bahahaha. I suppose it wasn't the best idea to write such suspenseful scenes at midnight in the dark, though. lol.

Hopefully more is coming very soon, and hopefully you liked it so far!

Please leave me a review and let me know!


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N:** Urgh. I think Joan came out a bit OOC in this chapter, but oh, well. I liked what she did enough to not really want to change it.

One more chapter left. I'm not sure I can crank it out before I start class on Tuesday, but I can try! We'll see how it works out. :)

On with the story!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Covert Affairs. Or Uno. :)

* * *

Chapter 19

Most of the school was already evacuated and the president was well on his way out of the bomb's radiation radius (the fact alone that the kids' program picked up the bomb proved that it held the radioactive element that was signature to Bill's bombs) by the time Auggie figured out what had happened to Annie. The sirens wailing through the nearby streets, evacuating the people, attested to how seriously the local police were taking the threat, but Auggie couldn't move from his seat where he'd kissed Annie good-bye.

When he'd kissed her good-bye, he wasn't ready for it to be, well, you know, _good-bye_.

His heart thudded in his chest at the dull, nauseating sound as someone kicked someone else's body. After he'd practically _heard_ her give up, he had no choice but to believe that it was _Annie's_ body being attacked, and his panic and anger grew when Annie didn't respond. Why wasn't she fighting back?

Someone was walking up to him, though Auggie barely noticed, and then the man stopped short when he saw who it was sitting at the table, as if a dirty-bomb scare wasn't in effect. "Mr. Anderson! Why aren't you evacuating with everyone else?"

Stu. Trying to keep Auggie's cover in tact, and, frankly, Auggie loved him for it. When they got back to tech ops—_if_ they got back to tech ops—he was going to buy them a cake large enough to make them high off of it. Either that, or buy them enough beer to make them sick for a week.

He had a feeling they would prefer the latter.

But Stu had another thing coming to him if he thought for a minute that Auggie would let Annie face this by herself. He may not be her husband in real life, but she was his best friend, the woman he loved, and after this whole mission blew over, he _hoped_ and _prayed_ she would be his girlfriend, too.

Auggie was jerking his arm out of Stu's grasp (what was he, a spoiled five-year-old?) when he heard Joan's voice, shouting instructions to a couple dozen CIA agents over the melee. "… fan out. We have reason to believe the bomb is directly below the gymnasium. If you find something…"

His phone still pressed to his ear for any change in Annie's situation, Auggie turned to where Stu had been last, a pleading look on his face. He knew he most look like a desperate, despondent lover, but really—it was Annie. _His_ Annie. He just couldn't do nothing. "Stu. Take me to Joan. Please."

Stu awkwardly helped Auggie to his feet and began to walk toward Joan, with more than a little trepidation. By now, he had dropped the ruse of trying to protect Auggie's secondary identity. "Aug, are you sure… you know that a dirty bomb has been detected on the school property, right?" He glanced around the room, noticing something for the first time. "And where's Annie?"

"Annie was _kidnapped!_" Auggie cried, his voice coming out like a terrified, strangled, terrified plea.

The color drained from Stu's face as he took in the pain, worry, and frustration on his boss's and friend's face. He'd always known Auggie was close to Annie, but he'd never reacted this way whenever something had happened to Annie on a mission. What had happened between the two of them in the past four months?

Annie was a field operative, and she always danced with danger. Auggie knew that.

Still, Stu hated to see his friend so distraught, and he picked up his pace, pulling Auggie purposefully toward Joan, who was getting ready to send out her agents to find the bomb.

"Joan!" Stu called out, and he winced instantly. The things he did for Auggie. Hadn't he vowed he'd never let Joan scowl at him like that ever again?

Joan asked her group of operatives to wait for a moment, and she strode over to Auggie and Stu, an intense, curious look in her eyes. "Stu. Auggie. Why haven't you evacuated yet?"

"Felix Williams kidnapped Annie," Auggie said, his phone pressed tight to his ear like a lifeline. He flinched as he heard something come through the phone.

Shock, then recognition flashed across her face. _Of course_ Felix was involved. After all her suspicions, she knew he was involved in something. Her face softened for a moment at the raw look of pain on Auggie's face, that telephone pressed tight to his ear. She'd always had a soft spot for Auggie.

But soon the emotion was gone. She was the one in charge here, and much as she'd like to reassure Auggie that everything would be all right, she couldn't promise him they would. And she had a city to save. "Auggie, who is on the phone?"

"A-annie…"

"Annie? I thought you said she was kidnapped!"

"She was—is! She called me just before it happened. She must have put her phone away, but didn't end the call. I can hear what's happening." He sighed heavily. "Joan, you have to save her! He's going to kill her. He already did something to Jai. I think it was a taser."

Alarm registered on Joan's face. "Jai? Is that where he went?"

Auggie nodded. "I—I made Annie take him with her. I didn't want her going in alone."

Joan sighed. It was a good call, but it hadn't helped them, in the end. Now she had two agents compromised.

"Emerson! Isles! Newman! Keaton!"

The four agents were at Joan's side in an instant, and she quickly briefed them on the situation. "Auggie says that Annie and Jai went down through those doors, by themselves. We have no status on Jai, and Annie's been kidnapped. We'll be going in blind. This is both a rescue mission and a mission to neutralize the bomb. Annie believed the bomb was planted in the basement, below the gymnasium here. We have no back-up, no plan B. We are the mission, gentlemen. Are you ready to serve your country?"

Murmurs of affirmation echoed through the small group, and Joan said, "Okay, let's go. Stu, get Auggie out of here."

"No."

Auggie's voice was steady, even calm, a total transformation of his demeanor only a few moments earlier. He still held his phone tightly against his ear, and Joan glared at him hard. "Excuse me?"

"There is no way I'm going to walk away from Annie. Besides, I have the phone. How in the world are you going to find her?"

Joan held out her hand. "Give me the phone."

He knew he would regret this later. "No."

"Auggie, that wasn't a question. This isn't doing surveillance in the van with Annie. This is _Bill_. The terrorist who just about took out Arthur, for crying out loud. I'm not letting you be another one of his casualties."

Auggie's eyes flashed back at Joan, as if he knew exactly how she was staring him down, and he promised, "Joan, I'll hang back. I won't make trouble. Send an extra guy along to protect me, if you have to. But there is no way I'm walking away from Annie, not after everything we've been through in these past four months."

Joan sighed. "Baldwin!"

It went against every fiber of her being as both an operative and the boss of many operatives, but if she didn't bring Auggie along, she knew he would find his way to where Annie was on his own, and there was no way she was going to let him get into more mischief than he possibly could get into.

Silas Baldwin came to a stop in front of Joan, and she nodded to Auggie. "You're coming with us. Keep an eye on Auggie. When all this goes down, I need you to keep him out of the action."

He nodded, and as the group began moving forward, Baldwin offered his arm to Auggie. As they were submerged in the darkness, he threw Auggie a dirty look.

_How had he gotten stuck babysitting everyone's favorite blind techie?_

* * *

Felix Williams cursed under his breath. It'd been a stroke of luck when he'd taken a few of his men to go see who was going to find the bomb when he'd discovered Annie and Jai snooping around for the bomb. Capturing them—and Aurélie—had been the easy part, and maybe holding Aurélie Perrot ransom for a couple days would teach Baptiste a lesson for not doing the job he'd been given.

However, it had been _just_ his luck that Annie Walker was such a firecracker. He'd heard things about her—lots of things—but he hadn't expected her skull's impact to give him such a blinding headache.

They didn't have much time, either. If Annie was as resourceful and fast-on-her-feet as the rumors claimed, she already had a plan in motion.

And she was unconscious.

That meant the CIA would be right on his tail—which was something he didn't need—and he needed to find a way to lug a petrified teenager and a dead-weight CIA agent with him outside the radiation radius of the bomb when it exploded. Not to mention the fact that Jai Wilcox could wake at any moment.

Then again, that stun gun would keep him from causing any serious damage for the next hour or two, at least.

Just when they lugged the girls to the back stairway out of the school, Baptiste Perrot blocked their exit. He visibly paled at the sight of his daughter, slung over Niko Petrakis's shoulder. "Bill, what are you doing?"

Felix rolled his eyes. "What I should have done long ago, Perrot. You couldn't get results. Now your daughter will face the consequences."

* * *

Annie was just coming to when she felt whoever was carrying her stop. The arms carrying her were strong, and, until his dirty smell registered, and the throbbing in the back of her head threatened to drag her back under, she thought this might be a safe place to be.

Then her eyes fluttered open, and she could see the dimly lit face of Baptiste Perrot. He looked almost as terrified as she felt. "Bill, what are you doing?"

Annie sucked in a shaky breath. _Bill_. As in, _Bill_ Bill? She managed to glance up at the man who was holding her without his noticing it. Baptiste was talking to him, after all. Sharp, young, aristocratic looks, refined British accent, impeccable suit. And, apparently, very strong.

As Bill and Baptiste hissed their arguments back and forth, Annie studied the features of the man looming over her. He looked… familiar. She'd seen him somewhere. It had been… November?

Oh, it hurt to think. _Was it possible for a head to split open on its own accord?_

She pushed past the pain, trying to focus on that cocky voice, the impeccable eyebrows, the strong jaw. She _had_ seen him somewhere. She'd seen him at _Langley_. Then it all clicked together. He was one of _Arthur's_ spooks!

Most of them strutted around like the proud egomaniacs they all were, so they were easy to identify, but he always seemed to keep to himself. Then again, there was really only one who had an accent.

Felix Williams.

Williams? Bill? Was that were the name came from?

_How unoriginal._

She hoped Auggie was picking up all of this. When she got out—_if_ she got out—she'd explain it all.

* * *

Auggie whispered hints and updates to the other agents as they stumbled along in the dark. He could feel the anger radiating off of Baldwin as they got deeper and deeper into the building. Clearly, the man resented his assignment.

Auggie felt bad, but there was no way he was going to walk away, not after he and Annie had fallen deeper and deeper in love over the past couple of months.

When they reached the last corner, just before the basement, Joan pulled to a stop and hushed the agents behind her. When they listened, they could hear arguing.

Joan peaked her head around the corner. No one was there… except… her light caught the form of Jai's body, lying exposed. She motioned to Emerson, Newman, and Keaton, and Newman kept watch while Emerson and Keaton brought Jai's body around the corner. Joan glared down Baldwin and Auggie, her eyes carrying warning. "From here, we go alone. Baldwin, stay here with Auggie and Jai. If anything happens, get Auggie out of here."

Baldwin bristled at the instruction, but nodded anyway. When Joan and the others disappeared into the night, Baldwin told Auggie to sit, and he stood guard, watching both ways to make sure he knew what was happening.

Auggie tried to ignore Baldwin's anger, and he pressed the phone even closer to his ear, trying to hear even the slightest clue. Apparently, Bill and Baptiste were arguing over something—it sounded like something that had already taken place—and he gasped when he heard Aurélie's name mentioned. Was _Aurélie_ there? Had she followed Annie and Jai?

He blanched at the thought. Aurélie, caught up in this mess? She was pure and good and sweet…

Then he heard a gunshot fire, and icy fear shot through his veins. Was that Annie?

Baldwin shot straight up as the gunshot echoed through the winding pathways in the basement, and he whipped around to face Auggie. "Stay here," he ground out between his teeth.

Auggie was angry enough about being pushed around for the past twenty minutes to fight Baldwin on it, but the man was probably right. He'd probably be safest, here with Jai, while the others went to save the day.

His worry multiplied as the shouting increased through the telephone. Bullets ricocheted off the walls, and Auggie struggled to separate each aspect of the mayhem to understand what was going on. The one thing that echoed through his mind, like an idiotic _mantra_, was that _Annie_ was there. What had happened to her? Had she been hit? Was she still alive?

In the midst of the chaos going on halfway across the basement, another sound became more distinctive, as if… it was coming toward Auggie. He quickly pocketed the phone, making sure to keep the call connected, and he leaned forward, his head cocked to the side, listening. It sounded like… shoes. Slapping against the hard ground.

Someone was running, toward Auggie. And fast. Before he could really recognize what he was doing, he had already positioned himself. He hoped, for his sake, that the stairway was pitch black. At least he had a chance that way.

The steps were getting closer, closer, then… _thud._

The body collapsed, pinning Auggie's leg to the ground. The man easily recovered, lunging for Auggie's throat.

He quickly broke the man's hold, all the strength of his elbow cracking against the man's skull. Before the man could recover, Auggie's fist flew through the air, connecting with the man's nose.

He smirked to himself when he felt a slick, warm liquid coat his fist as he pulled it away. Blood.

The man stumbled down the few remaining stairs, and Auggie scrambled after him, quickly straddling the man before he could react. He ground the man's face into the ground. Bending close to his ear, Auggie spat out, "Who are you?"

"A-Auggie, it's me! Felix! What are you doing? You know me! I'm your pal, remember?"

Disgust and bitter bile rose in Auggie's throat at the realization of who was underneath him. Felix. He snorted. "Yeah, we were never pals. Besides, a pal doesn't kidnap his pal's _girl_."

Bitter disgust swelled inside of Felix when he realized charming Auggie wouldn't get him out of this. "Oh, you mean Aurélie? I didn't know you liked them so young, Aug."

Auggie shoved the man's face farther in the ground. "Be quiet, _pal_." He felt along Felix's sides, and, when he discovered a gun, he shoved it into the back of his pants.

Several moments later, he heard a slight groan coming from the area where Baldwin and the others had left Jai. He grinned in his direction. "Hey, there, sleepy head."

He had never thought he'd see the day where he and Jai would get along, but Felix Williams put everything else into perspective. Besides, something had changed between them in the last four months. Auggie wasn't sure what it was, but he didn't actually mind the thought of being Jai's _friend_ anymore.

Jai groaned. "Where am I?"

"Somewhere in the basement of MCA. Apparently, Felix tased you and kidnapped Annie. I caught him trying to escape."

Auggie smirked when he heard Jai scrambling to get to his feet. He collapsed only a moment later. "Yeah. I wouldn't try to get up if I were you. It'll take a while for the effects to wear off."

"Wh-where's Annie?"

Auggie nodded in the direction he thought Joan and the other agents had headed toward. "Joan went to rescue her. Along with Keaton, Emerson, Isles, and Newman."

Jai nodded. At least she was in good hands.

* * *

When Felix dropped Annie, she had done everything she could to get out of the way. It wasn't easy, the plastic ties still digging into her wrists and her head throbbing from Felix's gun, but Joan and her agents were shouting, "Drop your weapons! CIA! Drop your weapons _now!_" and Annie just wanted to have some measure of safety.

Her hands were still bound, but she scooted herself to the corner of the room. Her head felt like it was about to explode, and two of Felix's goons tripped over her in their attempt to escape. One of the bullets even grazed her upper arm. Still, she'd managed to escape the majority of the fight, and she watched while Joan rescued her.

Aurélie was huddling in the corner, shaking from fear, and Annie did her best to reassure her that everything would be okay. But Ari was staring at her like she was an alien and a traitor, and Annie wasn't even sure she could make sure everything _would_ be okay, and she let her voice drift off into silence.

Soon enough, it was all over. Joan's agents were escorting Felix's goons out to police cars waiting in the school parking lot, and, eventually Felix, as well, when Baldwin found his way back to Auggie and Jai.

The bomb ended up being right where Annie thought it would be, and Isles, a bomb expert, diffused it easily. For all the damage Bill's bombs did, their composition was fairly easy to understand. It was the unpredictability and the radiation that did the most damage.

* * *

Annie was sitting on a small stack of chairs in the room in the basement, holding an ice pack to the spot on her head where Felix had butted her with the gun. They had tried to wheel her way to the waiting ambulance, but she refused to budge until she saw Auggie. Five minutes ago, Joan had left to go retrieve him and Jai from the other end of the basement. Her strict orders to watch Annie still hung in the air, and Emerson, Isles, and Newman were eying her like she was about to sprout a unicorn horn.

Annie watched the shadows of the hallway, hoping or a sign of Auggie. She still couldn't believe he defied Joan like that for her. When Joan had told her, it had taken everything she had to keep from bursting out laughing. Joan had _not_ been happy about the whole situation.

When Auggie appeared in the doorway, an ugly bruise forming just under his left eye and limping, Annie jumped off the stack of chairs before anyone could stop her and ran to Auggie, throwing her arms around him. "Auggie!" She buried her face in his neck, and Auggie held her to him tightly, lifting her off the ground as he spun her around. He buried his face in the softness of her hair, and, as he lowered her to the ground, he pressed a gentle kiss to the crown of her head. "You're okay… you're okay," he whispered, as much to calm him as it was to calm her.

But she was so perfectly _Annie_—that sweet grapefruit perfume, the way she clung to his neck when she was so scared, the way she fit so perfectly into his arms, the unbelievably _softness_ of her hair against his cheek—that he started to believe that she _was_ okay.

When his hand ghosted over the spot on her head where Felix's gun had impacted, Annie hissed in pain and clung to Auggie even tighter. He reached his hand up to just above the nape of her neck, cradling her head against him. He stroked her hair gently. "What did he do to you?"

Despite her efforts to stay strong, she still felt her eyes burn as a few of her tears seeped through. "I'm okay, Auggie. Really."

He wanted to sit down, let her curl up in his lap, and hold her until the pain had gone far, far away.

She reached up and gingerly touched the tender spot on her head. She usually wasn't a queasy person, but just touching the wound, the blood caked into her hair, made her a bit woozy. "He rammed the butt of his gun into my head."

Auggie's fiery reaction was immediate. He pulled away, holding her at arm's length, as if he wanted to _see_ what the creep had done. Some habits die hard, she supposed. "He did—he did _what_?" Auggie growled out.

By the look on his face, Annie wondered if he would try to track down the cop cars and execute Felix himself.

But then he turned that passion on her, capturing her lips in a kiss that took her breath away. He poured all his love, worry, fear, and relief into that kiss, as if he needed to prove to himself that she was okay.

She stared up into his glowing chocolate eyes and cupped his face with her hands, pressing a soft, tender kiss to his lips. When she pulled away, she whispered, "I love you."

A slow, happy grin inched up his face, and he pulled her back into his arms, shielding her protectively from the world. As he held her in his arms, like a lifeline, he whispered fervently, "Baby, don't _ever_ scare me like that again."

She grinned into his shoulder slowly, loving the way it felt to hide in Auggie's arms after a long mission. She loved the musky smell of his cologne and aftershave, and being surrounded by his love and strength made her feel safer than she ever had before.

Until Joan cleared her throat from across the room.

Annie blushed as she pulled away from Auggie a little bit. "I think they know our secret," she whispered.

Auggie just chuckled and pulled her against him, grinning smugly in Joan's direction.

"Annie, that ambulance is still waiting for you," she said with a pointed look.

Auggie turned Annie to face him, one hand caressing her arm gently, the other cupping her cheek. "Ambulance? Why do you need an ambulance, Annie?"

She blushed. Okay, maybe it was dumb to refuse to go to the hospital, but when all the smoke had cleared, the only thing in the world she'd wanted was Auggie. "Umm, a bullet nicked me in the shoot-out."

"A bulle—what? Annie!"

She just slipped into his arms, burying her face in his chest. "Sorry! But all I could think about was seeing you again."

Auggie's heart melted at her words, and he held her tighter in his embrace. "Where?"

She glanced down at her arm, looking at the damage. "My, um, my right arm. It just nicked it, it's not that bad. I've had worse."

Despite his worry for her, he couldn't help snorting in laughter. "Look at you, sounding all cavalier."

She just grinned into his chest as he began to move her closer to where he thought Joan was. "C'mon. Let's get you some help," he whispered, ghosting a light kiss against her temple.

"Where's the ambulance, Joan?"

"East gym entrance." She ushered them both up the stairs, and when they emerged into the night air, the paramedics took over, tending to Annie's wounds.

Auggie stood off to the side, not sure what he should be doing. He flinched every time Annie hissed in pain, and he shoved his hands deep into his pockets, in hopes that that would make him look less like he was at a loss of what to do.

Annie was watching him, the whole time the two paramedics inspected her injuries and tried to patch her up enough for the hospital. He was standing there, so adorably confused, trying to figure out what he was supposed to do. Somehow, his suit jacket had been lost in the melee, and he stood there, his shirt sleeves rolled up to his elbows, hands shoved in his pockets, his sightless eyes roving the dark horizon. "Auggie," she called out to him, and they all turned to look at her.

She held out the hand of her good arm. "C'mere," she whispered softly. She watched him with a soft smile as he started walking toward her. "It's a straight path. About five more feet."

When he reached her side, she tugged him down onto the stretcher next to her, and she threaded her fingers through his. "Hold my hand," she whispered, and he obliged, settling in next to her. As the paramedics continued to work, Annie leaned into the gentle strength Auggie offered, telling him all about Danielle and the girls, and how much she was looking forward to finally going home, and how she would personally hug every single person in the DPD and Tech Ops when she got back…

* * *

Joan came to an abrupt stop at the doorway to Annie's hospital room. It was the morning after the bomb scare, and she'd wanted to stop by and say hi, as well as see how quickly Annie would be returning to work. She stopped short at what she saw in the small hospital room, though.

Annie and Auggie sat across from each other on the bed, Indian-style, talking as they played a game of Uno. When Annie beat him, she grinned victoriously and did a little jig where she was on the bed, and Auggie just smirked back at her. A second later, he reached out, cupping her face with his hands, and kissed her slowly, sweetly. "I love you," he whispered, and Annie grinned up at him.

"Yeah, me, too."

Then she pushed the Uno cards off to the side and climbed into Auggie's lap, relaxing against him as he held her. "You're going to protect me from Dani and the girls when they come to visit, right?"

Auggie snorted, and Annie swatted his arm playfully. He just held her tighter. "Of course, babe," he said softly. "I'll protect you always."

Joan pushed away from the doorjamb and walked down the hallway and back to her car. She could talk to Annie and Auggie later. After all they'd done, they deserved this moment of happiness.

* * *

**A/N:** Tada!

And yes, there will be a little bit more. There's just some loose ends I feel need to be tied up still. :)

Review, please!


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N:** The last chapter! This is just too weird. I have been working on this story eight months. Almost _nine months_. I can't believe it's finally coming to a close! Thank you all so much for reading, and I can't believe you stuck with me, through it all. I still don't think it was the best story I've ever written, but I did the best I could, and I'm proud of the result. I'm still so honored that so many people followed and favorited and reviewed this story. I still can't believe it has gotten over 30,000 hits! It's only slightly less than _Christmas with Auggie_, which had less than 20,000 hits by the time I finished writing it. :)

(In a nutshell, that means you guys are ***awesome***! hehe)

Anyway, on to the story! I hope you like this last development!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Covert Affairs. Still. Forever.

* * *

Chapter 20

"Aunt Annie! Aunt Annie!"

Annie smirked as she watched Chloe and Katia round the corner, huge grins on their faces. "You're back!"

It had been a long few days since she'd been admitted to the hospital for her injuries. Dani and the girls had visited every day, but still. She was home now, and somehow that mattered to Danielle, Chloe, and Katia.

As they ran to hug her, Katia demanded, "Aunt Annie, what took you so long?"

"Yeah," Chloe echoed. "You were gone like a whole year!"

Annie didn't bother to correct them. It had felt like a year.

Danielle appeared in the doorway, resting her shoulder against the doorjamb. "Hey, stranger."

Annie smiled apologetically. "Hey." She'd already fed Danielle, Michael, and the girls some lie about how she'd been stuck in Mongolia, sorting through artifacts for an upcoming Mongolian-themed exhibit the Smithsonian was about to put on display, and she hadn't been able to get a phone as she was in remote places the whole time. The injuries, of course, came from a bank hold-up in Spain on her way home. Now she just wanted to relax, and she hoped and prayed that Dani hadn't found a loophole in her story.

She sank onto the couch in the living room. She'd forgotten how much she loved this thing, how it conformed to every inch of her body. She'd never sat in a more comfortable couch in her life. She sighed happily as leaned her head against the back of the couch, careful not to let the wound hit the couch too hard. It was still extremely tender to the touch. If she had to wait very long for it to heal, she was going to start complaining.

Katia climbed onto Annie's lap, grinning up at her aunt. "Hi, Aunt Annie."

Annie wrapped her arms around her niece and pulled her into a loose hug. "Hey, baby girl."

"Guess what I did while you were gone?"

She didn't even want to think about the possibility. She'd missed half of the girls' lives on one op. "I don't know, sweetie. Tell me."

Katia opened her mouth wide and pointed to an empty spot in her mouth were two teeth had been. "I lost two teeth!"

Annie smiled. "That's great, Kate."

She grinned. "I know. Dya know how much the tooth fairy brought me?"

Annie shook her head. "No, sweetie. How much?"

"Two dollars!"

She loved how much Katia's eyes widened in pride. "That's a lot of money!"

"I know! And guess what? I got straight 'A's on my report card! Mommy was really proud. And lookie how long my hair is now? Mommy said we could grow it longer if we take care of our hair more. So you know how much I brush it? Five times a day! Mommy keeps telling me I'm going to brush all my hair out, but at least it's not all knotty. And guess what we got? A _swimming pool_! It's gonna be one of those in-the-ground ones, and Daddy says there will be a deep end, so he can swim, too, but we can't go in the deep end yet because we're not very good swimmers…"

Annie laughed and shared a knowing look with Danielle as Katia continued to babble on. As soon as Katia let up, Chloe, snuggled at Annie's side, began to share her version of the events of the past five months, and they both ran and gave Annie their report cards, and showed her all the little crafts they'd made and kept, and, nearly an hour later, when they tired of bringing her up to speed, they ran off on their own adventure.

As Annie watched them go, she chuckled. Danielle did the same. "Sooo. I guess you don't need me to tell you what you missed."

Even though it wasn't really meant as a slight against her work schedule, Annie knew it was something that bothered Dani. "Sorry! I didn't know it was going to take that long, honest. I thought it was like, one week, two, tops."

"Well, are you gonna be around for a while now, at least?"

Annie gingerly felt the edge of the bandage around her arm. The bullet that nicked her hadn't gone very deep, but still, her doctor at the hospital had insisted that she keep her arm bandaged until it healed. "For a while," she said with a soft smile. "I don't think the Smithsonian really wants me going all over the place, trying to get all these amazing things, when I'm still recovering from my last trip. My boss says she can use me around the office for the next month or so, so I'll probably see you and the girls a lot this summer."

Danielle grinned. "Good."

Annie couldn't help but agree. She'd missed Dani and the girls, and, though the mission hadn't been thrilling and dangerous the whole way through, it had been emotionally draining, and she was glad to have some time to recover.

Besides, that also meant she'd have more time to spend with Auggie.

"Are you going to be around tonight? It's game night," Danielle teased, her voice getting that lilty, sing-songy quality that always meant she was trying to get something Annie knew she wouldn't like.

"What's on the agenda for game night?"

"Sorry!"

Annie groaned. "Dani, you know I hate that game! I'm so bad at it!"

Danielle just grinned. "I know. But it's the girls' favorite game, and they miss their aunt! Come on, do it for the girls…"

Annie groaned again. "Okay. But as long as we can play Trouble too."

Dani grinned. "Deal." She reached out and pulled Annie into a hug, being careful of her arm and head, and she buried her face in Annie's shoulder. "We missed you around here, Annie."

She hugged her sister back. "Yeah. I know." She sighed softly. "I missed you, too."

* * *

Auggie was sleeping when there came a knock on his door at 2:17 the next morning. He'd always been a light sleeper, and it didn't take much to wake him up.

He squinted and listened into the darkness, and the knocking came again.

He rolled over in his bed and pulled the blankets up over his head. It was in the middle of the night, for crying out loud. If it was a matter of national security, Joan knew his number. Otherwise, whoever it was could wait until morning.

The knock came again, louder and more persistent this time, and he groaned, throwing back the covers. He reached for his sweatshirt, throwing it over his tee-shirt, as he stumbled out toward the front door to his apartment.

When he reached the door, he leaned his forehead against the door. "Who is it?"

Her voice sounded small, and almost embarrassed. "Annie…"

He took a step away from his door and pulled it open, wincing at the noise it made. "Annie? What are you doi—"

Before he could finish his question, she threw herself into his arms, hugging him tight. "I can't sleep without you."

He caught her, holding her close for a moment. When she didn't say anything further, he reached up and found her cheek, pushing her away a little as he stroked her cheek. "Babe, what do you mean?"

A strangled, frustrated sound came from her throat, and she said, "I tried! I've been trying to sleep since nine o'clock! But I can't. I can't sleep without hearing you snoring right next to me, and I didn't think I'd ever miss the way you always fling your arm against the bed, waking me up _every_ signal night at 2:45, never fail… but…" She sighed heavily. "I miss you! And—"

A slow smile spread over Auggie's lips as he listened to Annie's sleepy tirade. "C'mere," he whispered, covering her lips with his own. The kiss didn't last long, but when he pulled away, his eyes twinkled back at her, and he said, "I love you."

He wrapped his arm around her shoulders, guiding her back toward his bedroom, and he said, "C'mon. Let's get you back to bed." He felt along the wall with his hand, not wanting to knock her into the wall or a doorjamb.

When they reached his bed, he held the blankets back as she climbed in, and he climbed in after her. He smirked when he heard—and felt—her shifting around, trying to find the most comfortable position. She'd done that every night in Manassas, too. When she lay still for a moment, he asked, "Comfy?"

She craned her neck to look up at him in the darkness, and she grinned. "Yeah."

He laughed softly and wrapped his arm around her waist, wrapping his body around hers protectively. He kissed her jaw gently and nuzzled his face into the space between her neck and shoulder. "Night, Annie."

Her voice already was sleepy. "Mmm-hmm."

Lying there, Annie cradled in his arms, they both drifted into sweet sleep.

* * *

Annie stumbled into the nursery room, sleepily taking in the lavender walls, the stenciled flowers climbing up the left corner of the room, the name _Rachel_ painted in large, soft lettering across the wall. A large, plush teddy bear lay, discarded, by the door, and, in the middle of everything, stood a two-year-old little wonder with Auggie's wavy dark brown hair, Annie's nose, and Auggie's chocolate brown eyes. She had pulled herself up against the edge of her crib, and she was doing her little morning jig.

She was still clad in her pajamas, and, when Annie appeared in the doorway, her eyes lit up. "Momma!"

A grin easily lit up Annie's face. "Hey, baby."

Rachel reached out her hands to Annie and grunted, bouncing up against the edge of the crib for effect.

Annie just laughed and reached out, lifting Rachel into her arms. She kissed her daughter's perfect little cheek and grinned. "Hey, baby. How are you? Did you sleep good last night?" She didn't really even expect Rachel to answer—this was just the way she'd always been with her daughter. As she changed Rachel's diaper and got her ready for the day, she kept chattering away, telling her all about what they would do that day, and sometimes Rachel chattered back.

By the time she was dressed in a lavender sundress Danielle had gotten Rachel for her second birthday a month ago and Annie still hadn't seen Auggie, she bounced Rachel on her hip as she headed out toward the kitchen to find breakfast, she whispered, "Huh, where's Daddy, Rachel? Where did he go? He was supposed to get you ready this morning, and _poof!_ He disappeared!"

Rachel giggled at the word _poof_ and wrapped her arms around Annie's neck, pressing a childish kiss to Annie's cheek. While Annie was distracted by Rachel, Auggie moved to the entryway from the hallway into the kitchen and dining room. "What do you mean, I disappeared?" His eyes twinkled back at her, but Annie noticed, surprised, that his eyes never quite locked with hers, like they'd done in so many of the dreams she'd had before. He shrugged, and, reaching out tentatively, he caressed Annie's cheek for a moment before kissing her good morning. He grinned back at her, and reached out, taking Rachel from her arms. "I made your favorite."

She growled a little as she folded her arms across her chest and wandered to the table, checking to see if it was indeed her favorite. Chocolate-chip pancakes. Of course it was. "You're not supposed to be so utterly endearing."

Auggie grinned back at her as he set Rachel in her booster seat. "You know I can't help it."

Annie rolled her eyes, but she ambled over to him, stilling him when he went to pull his chair out. She cupped his face with her hands, pressing a kiss to his lips as she lightly pressed her body against his. He kissed her back, his arms slowly finding their way around her waist as he pulled her even closer. Almost as quickly as the kiss began, Auggie pulled away, giving her a tender, intimate smile as he tucked her hair behind her ear. "Hey, no fair. You can't do that when I'm supposed to worry about if Rachel's gonna rock out of the booster seat again."

She just giggled up at him and pressed another quick kiss to his lips. "Love you," she said, loving that she still meant it, after all these years.

Auggie grinned toward the spot she'd been five seconds ago, as he pulled out his chair. "I love you, too, baby."

* * *

When Auggie woke up the next morning, the distinct smell of grapefruit was on his pillow, and Annie's knees were touching his own. Her hand was intertwined with his, and she was playing with his hand as she watched him. He swallowed sleepily and said, "So you like to watch me while I sleep, huh?"

She blushed as her gaze flew to his eyes. "Uh, no."

He smirked as he reached up, cupping her cheek with his hand. He urged her closer, claiming her lips in a kiss. When she pulled away, he whispered, "Move in with me."

Annie blinked back at him. "Ma-mo—what?"

He caressed her cheek gently again. "Move in with me."

"Wh-why?"

"Because you can't sleep without me, apparently. And I don't want to take this slow. Who are we kidding? I love you, and we were meant to be together."

"You're serious?"

He nodded. "I've been thinking about this a lot in the past month or so."

She studied his face as he waited for her answer. He looked so vulnerable and earnest. "B-but… we haven't even had sex yet."

The words flew out of her mouth before she could stop them, and once they were out, she covered her mouth with her hands, mortified. _Had she really just said that?_

Auggie grinned slowly at her words. "Well, we can rectify that right now, Miss Walker."

Annie blushed even more at his words, but didn't stop him when he reached out, pulling her flush against him as he captured her lips in another kiss, this one searing and full of more passion than he'd ever kissed her before.

* * *

Annie craned her neck to look up into Auggie's eyes. He was holding her, cocooned in his arms under the blanket he'd pulled over them, and she could feel sleep calling to her. She didn't know it was possible to feel this comfortable and relaxed. "Annie?" he whispered to her.

"Hmm?" she asked in return, pressing a soft kiss to his bare chest.

"Will you move in with me now?"

She grinned at his persistence. She didn't know how it was possible that he loved her and would chase after her just as much as she would for him. It kind of took her breath away. "Okay," she whispered.

"Okay?" Auggie asked, his heart leaping in his chest. He reached down, lifting her chin up as he met her lips in another kiss.

Her forehead still lightly pressed to his, she grinned. His chocolate eyes were filled with so much joy, pride, and vulnerability she couldn't help but feel the surge of love that rose up through her. "Yeah. I'll move in with you." She paused for a moment. "As long as I can girlify it up a little. I refuse to live in a bachelor's pad."

He chuckled and met her lips with another gentle kiss. "Deal. As long as we can keep my mattress."

She laughed. "That's fine with me. It's better than my mattress, anyway. As long as we get to keep the bedding from the mission."

"Don't you think Joan will want her bedding back?"

She shrugged. "She has a soft spot for us. I think I can convince her."

Auggie laughed.

He could feel the sun shining in on them, and he was hungry. "Ready to get up?"

She shook her head against his shoulder. "Not yet."

He smiled against her hair, but it turned into a chuckle when he heard her stomach growl loudly. He helped her out of bed. "C'mon. I think it's time to get up. You're starving and I promised Joan I'd be in by ten today."

Annie groaned. "Fine…" As she found her clothes, discarded on the floor, she sighed. "But it is so not fair that you get to go back to work and I'm not allowed back for a whole week still."

He laughed as he pulled her back into his arms, holding her close as he guided them back out to his kitchen. "At least this way you can prepare Dani and the girls for your departure."

Annie's eyes widened in worry. "Dani!"

Auggie chuckled. "What about her?"

"I promised that I'd be around for the next month, that I'd make up the past half a year to them for being gone so long."

He laughed. "I'm sure Danielle will understand. Hasn't she been pushing for you to find a guy, anyway?"

Annie rolled her eyes. "Yeah, well, I don't think she'll be very happy that the guy I found is taking me away from her so fast."

He pulled her close for another kiss. "I'm sure she'll come around. After all, how could anybody hate me?"

Annie rolled her eyes and shoved him lightly. "Oh, yeah. Because you're just Mr. Charming."

* * *

Aurélie Perrot was stuck in her hospital bed, reading her American History textbook to keep up with her classes, when there was a knock on her door. She glanced up and sent her a visitor a dark scowl.

"Go away."

Annie hesitated at the doorway, a worried frown covering her face as she took in the pitiful frame of the young girl in front of her. One of Felix's men had shot Aurélie, in the shoulder, when she'd tried to escape, and, just a few minutes later, another of his men tripped over her, knocking her head into the concrete floor. She'd gotten a concussion out of the ordeal, and she'd had to have surgery to remove the bullet.

She looked better than when Annie had been cleared to leave the hospital, but Ari was still pale, and her eyebrows were knitted together in pain. Annie's heart went out to her. She'd never wanted Aurélie in the middle of this mess, and it made her sick that Ari's injuries were worse than Annie's and Auggie's put together.

"Ari—" Annie sighed. "I know you don't think you can—"

Anger clouded her face. "Of _course_ I can't trust you right now! You put my dad in _prison_! He wasn't the best guy in the world, but he was my _dad_! What gives you the right? You _used_ me and my plan to save thousands of people to your benefit! You are the one that put me here!" She angrily crossed her arms over her chest, but when pain shot through her shoulder, she quickly unfolded them and let them fall at her sides. "How could I ever trust you after that? How do I even know who you are? Mrs. Wilcox says you and Mr. And—whoever he is—aren't even married! How could you do that to me?"

Annie sighed again. "Ari—"

"_Don't_ call me that! Only my friends can call me that!"

She sighed again. "Okay. Aurélie. We may not be Mr. and Mrs. Anderson, but I am still Annie, and he was still Auggie Anderson! We are still completely in love, and we still care about you more than just about anything else. Do you know why we were sent in for that op? We were _protecting_ Mrs. Wilcox. Your father _threatened_ her, and she is a very dear friend to many of us. Auggie and I didn't know anything about your project, or what your father was involved in, and we never wanted to hurt you! We didn't expect to get attached to anyone when we moved to Manassas, but when we did, our goal was to keep _you_ and Isaiah and Gavin and Zane and Alexander and all your friends and your teachers safe. All we wanted was to make the world a better place, just like you did."

Aurélie heaved a big sigh. "Mrs. Ander—whatever your name is, just leave me alone. I was doing fine without you here."

Annie sighed as she turned to go. "It's Annie. Just… Annie."

* * *

Vivian sighed softly as she sat across from Annie and Auggie in the coffee shop. Jai was watching the girls, and it had given her an opportunity to catch up with Annie and Auggie. She'd missed being around them since their op had finished up over a month ago.

She took a sip of her coffee as she played with her napkin. "I—I wish you guys could see Ari. She's so miserable. I've tried to talk to her, but she's so lonely. Every week, she moves from one friend to the other, but nobody really wants to take in an orphan indefinitely. She's such a smart, sweet kid. I would take her in, but Hannah and Bella are a handful already… and with the baby on the way…" She glanced down at her stomach, just starting to show. "We can't take Ari in, much as we'd like to. She's going to run out of friends soon, and I don't know what she'll do then. She has that full scholarship to whatever school she goes to, but she has to survive two summers and her senior year before that'll make a difference. The foster system won't even take her because she's eighteen already. She started late because of the French/American differences."

Annie sighed as she played with her scone. "I don't know what to say, Viv. I tried to talk to her. She doesn't want anything to do with us."

Vivian sighed. "I know. But I've been talking to her. I think she really misses you guys. You were almost like second parents to her. Her father refuses to see her in prison. She needs parents, and deep down, underneath all that pain, I think she really loves you guys."

Annie glanced at Auggie and sighed. She wanted to help Ari—really, she did—but she couldn't help someone that didn't want help.

* * *

Annie slowed to a stop when she reached the door to MCA's library. Ari was sitting at one of the tables, reading one of her textbooks, her head propped up by one of her hands. She looked so incredibly lonely and sad.

Stealing herself against an outburst, Annie quietly slipped into the library and sat down across from Aurélie. "Hi, Aurélie."

She looked up. She frowned, but she didn't try to get rid of Annie. "What do you want?"

Annie sighed softly. "To talk to you. Look, Ari. I know you're still not very happy with Auggie or me, but look at you. You're all alone, wandering from family to family… we're really worried about you."

Aurélie glanced up at Annie, tears brimming in her eyes. "Well, what do you want me to do? I don't have any family… none of my friends want me to live with them. Even the government doesn't want to take care of me. I'm on my own."

Annie reached out and cupped Aurélie's cheek, stroking it softly. "Oh, Ari…" She sighed. "Auggie and I want you, okay? Come live with us. We can't promise we'll be the best, but we'll be there for you, and we won't lie to you."

A sob shook her body. "How can I be sure?"

Annie's face softened. "Aurélie. Sweetie, look at me." She lifted the cap sleeve of her shirt, revealing the scar from the bullet wound. "I did this for you, okay? I did it for the world in general, but I did it for _you_, because besides Vivian and Jai Wilcox, _you_ were the only one I really cared about here, okay? It may be a little weird that we're so young, and you're already eighteen, but we can give you a home, and food, and we'll love you more than anyone else in this place, okay?"

Aurélie glanced around the room a bit self-consciously. "Oh-okay."

Annie's smile brightened, and she tucked a strand of Aurélie's hair behind her ear before drying her tears. "Okay? C'mon, sweetie. Let's get out of here."

Annie helped Aurélie pack up her books, and, as they walked out of the school, Annie's arm around Aurélie's thin shoulders protectively, she asked Ari about everything they'd missed in the past month. When they got to the car, Auggie turned around in his seat, grinning when he smelled Aurélie's lavender perfume. "Ari!"

She giggled through the last of her tears. "Hi, Mr. Anderson." She slipped into the back seat of Annie's VW. "Can we stop by Lily's house? I have to get my stuff…"

Annie smiled into the rearview mirror. "No problem, sweetie."

* * *

Auggie ambled out into open area of the apartment, smiling to himself when he heard Annie putting away dishes in the kitchen. "Hey," he whispered to her, kissing her gently as he pulled her into his arms.

"Hey," she returned, grinning up at him, as she let her hands linger on his chest. "So how's Ari?"

Auggie shrugged slightly. "Time will tell, I think. She's been through a lot, but I think she'll be better soon." He twisted his head in the direction of the guest room, which now served as Aurélie's bedroom. "She's sleeping now."

Annie smiled softly. "So, are you ready to be a daddy?"

Auggie rolled his eyes. "You knew you'd get this out of me someday, didn't you?"

She giggled. "Maybe."

"Are you ready to be a mom?"

Annie shrugged. "I—I don't know. But if anybody's worth trying, it's Ari."

Auggie nodded. He felt the same way. He nodded toward the couch. "You ready?"

She rolled her eyes. While they'd been in Manassas, they'd developed a habit of watching their favorite televisions together. Now it was practically a tradition, and Hawaii Five-0 was one of their favorites. "Yeah, let me just grab the popcorn."

* * *

**A/N:** The last chapter! I'm thinking of posting the idea I have for an epilogue, but I'm not really sure. Would you like to see an epilogue for this?

As for this last dream… when I first started the story, it was a larger focus, and Rachel was supposed to be in a lot more dreams, but when I did all the overhauling in the middle, it kinda got cut out. This last dream and the epilogue would connect, though. :)

Also, I'm thinking ahead toward my next project. I'll be taking a break for a few weeks, as I'm starting my last semester of college on Tuesday (*woot-woot!*), and I want to get my schedule figured out, and I just haven't figured out what I want to do yet. I have several ideas, but I'd like opinions on one. Would anyone like to see _The March_ continued? If so, it'd follow Annie's and Auggie's honeymoon. If you'd like to see it continued, leave me a review on _The March_ (or send me a PM), and I'd love to hear what you'd like to see happen on their honeymoon. It'd kinda be a similar set-up to _Christmas with Auggie_, I think. :)

And as always, review please!


	21. Epilogue

**A/N:** Epilogue! As promised (to some, at least). :) Hope you like-ey!

Oh, and I'll probably be back in a week or two with a new story. :) No promises as to what it'll be yet, but I have some ideas brewing. :)

Until then, enjoy the epilogue, and thanks for reading! :) Oh, and pretty please, review one last time on your way out! :)

**Disclaimer:** I owneth not Covert Affairs. :*(

* * *

Epilogue

Annie watched with a tired smile as Auggie felt his way over to her, his right arm cocooning their newborn daughter, his left arm reaching out, ghosting along the wall and each obstacle until he reached her side.

He had the proudest look on his face, his forehead only inches from their baby girl's. He was whispering something to her softly, and she loved the way he was so completely focused on her, like nothing mattered more to him.

When his knees hit the hospital bed lightly, he carefully maneuvered himself, lowering himself onto the bed. He glanced up in Annie's direction, a careful, tender smile lighting his face. With the hand not cradling their daughter's fragile neck, he reached up and caressed her cheek lightly and leaned in for a brief kiss. "Hey, babe."

She couldn't help but grin in reply. "Hi."

He transitioned the baby in his arms carefully, handing her over to Annie. "I want you to meet Rachel Anaïs Anderson."

Tears filled her eyes as she accepted her daughter into her arms. She studied little Rachel quietly. "Sh-she's okay?" she whispered tearfully, and when Auggie nodded softly, all the stress melted out of her body.

After a hard twenty-six hours of labor and finding out the umbilical cord had been wrapped around Rachel's neck twice, the nurses had rushed her from the room with little explanation or reassurance. Annie had lost it. Auggie had held her for an hour straight, absorbing her heart wrenching sobs and whispering comforting words to her that did little to assuage her fears—or his.

But now, Rachel was cuddled in her arms, and she was perfect. Auggie's curly dark hair, Annie's nose and mouth, Auggie's ears. One of her little hands escaped the blanket she was tightly wrapped in, and Annie reached out by instinct, letting Rachel grab a hold of Annie's thumb.

She kissed her daughter's forehead gently. "Hey, baby," she whispered, her voice choked with her tears.

Annie glanced up at Auggie, who was waiting expectantly for her reaction. "Auggie, she's perfect," she whispered.

She was going to cry.

She'd waited for 38 eight weeks, through all the morning sickness and the crazy cravings, the Braxton Hicks contractions, being benched by Joan since the end of her first trimester, and then the scare in the delivery room… and now, now Rachel was here.

She was here, and Annie was a mommy, again. Rachel was so perfect. How could one moment lead to this miracle?

She stirred, making a cute gurgling noise, and Annie's heart melted. When Chloe and Katia were born, Dani had always bragged that she had the best kids in the world. But in that moment, Annie was sure that as awesome as Chloe and Kate were, they had _nothing_ on Rachel.

She smiled softly and caressed Rachel's cheek as Annie watched her sleep. She glanced up at Auggie, and then it hit her, what he'd said. _Rachel _Anaïs_ Anderson... Anaïs?_ "Hey!" she protested in a whisper, sending him a look. "I thought we decided on Amaya!"

He chuckled at how long it'd taken her to realize it. They'd agreed on Rachel Amaya—Amaya for both of their mothers (Amelia and Maya)—months ago, almost immediately after they'd found out the gender. Annie'd tried to push for Violet as the first name—she loved it so much more than Rachel—but after she'd told him about her dream from three years ago, there was no way he was letting her use Violet instead of Rachel.

But after being with Annie for the past 26 hours, he couldn't help it. He'd wanted to name Rachel after Annie ever since they knew it was a girl, but Annie had complained that Rachel Anne was just too boring, and using Anne made her feel too conceited.

A sheepish look covered his face. "Oh, yeah, um… well, I was hoping you wouldn't mind that."

She watched him, waiting for his answer, and she almost laughed as he squirmed under her gaze. "Well, I just—Annie…" He reached out to her, letting his nervousness fade away, and he caressed her cheek gently and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. He leaned in to kiss her softly. "Baby, I love you, okay? And I love Rachel. I just want to be able to always remember you when I think of our little girl. Please?" He let his hand trail down Annie's arm, until he found one of Rachel's silky cheeks. He stroked it gently with his thumb. "Besides. Tell me she doesn't look like a Rachel Anaïs."

She smirked as she watched him. He was so adamant about this, so convinced. He would be so happy if she said yes. Besides, she _was_ a Rachel Anaïs. "Okay," she said, sighing for affect. "Rachel Anaïs Anderson. But you know your mom's gonna be mad we didn't name Rachel after her anymore."

He laughed. "Mom can deal with it."

From the open doorway, a good-humored, sweet alto voice called out, "Mom can deal with what?"

Annie smirked as Auggie's head whipped around, trying to figure out who was standing in the doorway besides his mother. A small crowd had developed outside her hospital room, and they were all craning their necks, leaning into the room, trying to get a glimpse of Rachel. Danielle and Amy Anderson, of course, were in front of everyone else.

Annie groaned. They _never_ got any privacy.

Auggie's groan echoed her own. "Why didn't you tell me they were there?" he hissed.

She giggled at his expense, but when she glanced back at the door, filled with people just itching to hold her baby, she went strangely quiet, and she held Rachel just a little bit tighter.

Auggie instinctively understood her reaction, and he leaned over Rachel's body carefully, planting a gentle kiss on Annie's lips. "I'll be right back," he whispered, his eyes twinkling mischievously.

Annie watched with an intrigued smile as Auggie sauntered over to the small crowd pressed together in the doorway, and he started talking to the group, his hands moving animatedly. Soon their faces became crestfallen, and they started grumbling and complaining.

But slowly, one by one, they started turning away, until Aurélie remained. She pressed a soft, plush bunny into Auggie's hands. "Here, Dad. Give this to Rachel, will you?"

A slow smile crossed Auggie's face and he reached up, caressing Ari's cheek gently before she turned away. She waved to Annie from the doorway. "Bye, Mom! I'll bring Chloe and Kate by a little bit later."

And then they were alone.

She smirked as she watched Auggie saunter back over to her, grinning smugly at what he'd just done. When he was within reach, she tugged him down onto the bed, dropping her head onto his shoulder and snuggling into his side. "Thank you."

He chuckled and dropped a kiss onto her forehead. "You're welcome. But I think my mom almost had a heart attack when she realized she wasn't going to get to hold her first granddaughter."

Annie grinned into his shoulder. "I think she'll live."

They lay like that, in each other's arms, until Auggie felt Annie falling asleep in his arms. Slowly, Auggie reached over and took Rachel from her, placing her in the bassinet one of the nurses had left by Annie's bed.

He smiled softly as he heard Rachel yawn and as her little arms fell at her sides.

He felt his way back to the bed and climbed in next to Annie, pulling her back against him. She snuggled in closer to his chest and sighed contentedly. "Mmm, hi," she whispered sleepily.

Auggie grinned down at her, gently pushing her hair out of her face. "Comfy?"

She shrugged and wrapped her left arm around his waist, letting her eyes droop shut. "Not as much as at home, but it'll do."

Auggie smirked as his eyes drifted shut, too. It had been a long two days. He brushed a soft kiss against her soft hair. "Sleep well, babe."

She grinned into his chest. "You, too." The silence drifted between them comfortably, and Annie slowly drifted off to sweet sleep.

Despite all the friends and family and work and taking care of Aurélie that had filled the past few years, when it came down to it, their worlds still revolved around each other, and nothing would ever change that.

* * *

**A/N:** Tada! I hope you liked it! Please review on your way out! :)


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